Photo: Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images News / Getty Images
A 16-year-old was arrested for allegedly cutting down one of England's most famous and iconic trees. The tree at Sycamore Gap, which was featured in the 1991 movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, stood for over 200 years in a dip in Hadrian's Wall, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The tree was voted "Tree of the Year" in 2016 in the Woodland Trust awards.
Locals were saddened and outraged to learn the tree had been felled.
Landscape photographer Sophie Henderson told the New York Times that she burst into tears when she found out the tree had been cut down.
"I know a lot of people will say, 'It's just a tree,' but it's so much more," she said. "It makes me so angry and upset that somebody would do such a thing to something that's so special to so many people."
Authorities did not identify the teen but said he was cooperating with the investigation.
"This is an incredibly sad day. The tree was iconic to the North East and enjoyed by so many who live in or who have visited this region," Northumbria Police Superintendent Kevin Waring said. "Anyone found to have been responsible for this damage – which we believe to be a deliberate act of vandalism – can expect to be dealt with swiftly and appropriately."