By Tim Binnall
In a staggering act of vandalism that has sparked understandable outrage in England, an iconic three-hundred year old tree was cruelly cut down by sinister miscreant in the dead of night. Located along Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland, the famed Sycamore Gap tree had been synonymous with the region for generations, photographed countless times by awestruck tourists, and was even featured prominently in the 1991 Kevin Costner film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. As such, one can imagine the surprise and subsequent horror of local residents when they reportedly woke up on Thursday morning to discover the beloved landmark toppled over with a massive stump beside it.
Authorities immediately sprung into action to get to the bottom of the astounding turn of events and quickly determined that the downing of the tree was the work of a truly misguided individual with a chainsaw. "This is a world-renowned landmark and the events of today have caused significant shock, sadness and anger throughout the local community and beyond," declared Kevin Waring of the Northumbria police department. Amazingly, cops have already arrested a sixteen-year-old boy believed to be responsible for taking down the Sycamore gap tree. Since he is a minor, his identity has been withheld from the public, though given the high profile nature of the crime, it is hard to fathom that he will remain anonymous for very long.
The possible perpetrator being brought to justice provides little comfort for fans of the breathtaking piece of British culture as they are left to wonder why the senseless act of destruction was committed in the first place. To that end, Andrew Poad of the National Trust mused that "it's part of this area’s DNA, that's what I’m struggling with. I can't see the logic in what's happened." His mournful bewilderment was echoed by police official Kimberly McGuinness, who lamented that cutting down the iconic tree was "like stealing joy." It is uncertain what sort of penalty the suspect might face if convicted of cutting down the landmark, though one images whatever it is will pale in comparison to the mark of villainy that will no doubt follow him for the rest of his days.