Alexandra Ross

4 days ago | nz.news.yahoo.com | Alexandra Ross

A man in his 70s has died after two “significant” house fires occurred at the same time on neighbouring roads. Officers were called to the fires at properties on Lunt Place and Marbury Drive in Bilston, near Wolverhampton, shortly after 2am on Saturday, West Midlands Police said. The man was found dead at the Marbury Drive address. Four other people were taken to hospital with non life-threatening injuries, the force said.

5 days ago | nz.news.yahoo.com | Alexandra Ross

Two men, Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers, were found guilty of felling the iconic Sycamore Gap tree in Northumberland National Park. The tree, which stood for over a century, was cut down during Storm Agnes in September 2023. The men were convicted of criminal damage, causing over £620,000 in damages to the tree and additional damage to Hadrian's Wall. Evidence presented included a video of the tree being felled and messages exchanged between the men.

5 days ago | nz.news.yahoo.com | Alexandra Ross

Two former friends have been found guilty of chopping down the Sycamore Gap tree in an act of “deliberate and mindless criminal damage”. Ground worker Daniel Graham, 39, and mechanic Adam Carruthers, 32, drove overnight from Carlisle to the Northumberland landmark during Storm Agnes in September 2023, and cut down the tree with a chainsaw.

5 days ago | nz.news.yahoo.com | Alexandra Ross

“One of the lads who have done it, Adam Carruthers, has got the saw back in his possession,” the muffled voice could be heard saying to the 101 operator. That anonymous tip-off, made by Daniel Graham reporting his friend to police over the destruction of the Sycamore Gap tree, was the beginning of the downfall of a “best of pals” friendship that led to crime that prompted nationwide outrage.

5 days ago | nz.news.yahoo.com | Alexandra Ross

For park ranger Gary Pickles, 28 September 2023 started no differently to any other Friday morning. The clock had not long gone 8am and the 55-year-old was sipping his first cup of tea of the day at his home in the village of Haydon Bridge when, suddenly, his phone pinged and an email popped up on his laptop. It contained a report from a farmer saying the Sycamore Gap tree had been chopped down.