Teen arrested after UK Hadrian's Wall 'Robin Hood tree' cut down

LONDON

A 16-year-old boy was arrested on Set. 28 after one of Britain's most photographed trees was found felled next to the Hadrian's Wall UNESCO World Heritage site in northeast England, prompting outrage and grief.

The Sycamore Gap tree, which has stood for more than 200 years in the Northumberland National Park, was found fallen after overnight storms.

Its stump was seen with white paint marks and appeared cleanly cut, as if by a chainsaw, AFP reporters at the scene said.

The crown of the tree lay partly on the ancient Roman fortification, which stretches 118 kilometers from coast to coast.

The sycamore became internationally famous when it was used for a scene in the 1991 blockbuster film "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves," starring Kevin Costner.

Northumbria Police, which is probing the incident, said that the teenager was arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage.

Superintendent Kevin Waring said "the events of today have caused significant shock, sadness and anger throughout the local community and beyond."

"Given our investigation remains at a very early stage, we are keeping an open mind," he added.

The sycamore, which won the Woodland Trust's Tree of the Year in 2016, is a key attraction that has been photographed by millions of visitors over the years.

Tony Gates, chief executive of the Northumberland National Park Authority which manages the surrounding countryside, said it appeared the tree had been "deliberately felled."

Gates said he and volunteers at the national park felt "a real sense of loss" and that many people had been in tears at the news, which prompted a flood of social media messages expressing shock.

"This will have meant a lot to people. People will have been proposed to here, they will have held significant family occasions here," he added. "Some people may have scattered the ashes of loved ones here. For someone to feel that they can do this to such a site, I just find really hard to comprehend."

"Sycamore Gap was a place of happy and moving memories for millions of people, and a symbol of home for people around the world," said Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Kim McGuinness, calling it a "senseless crime."