The men were charged with causing criminal damage and damaging the wall built in A.D. 122 by Emperor Hadrian to guard the northwest frontier of the Roman Empire.FILE - A general view of the stars above Sycamore Gap prior to the Perseid Meteor Shower above Hadrian's Wall near Bardon Mill, England.LONDON, UK — Two men have been charged with cutting down the popular 150-year-old Sycamore Gap tree that toppled over on Hadrian's Wall last year in northern England, prosecutors said Tuesday.
The nighttime felling caused widespread outrage as police tried to find the culprits behind what they called a deliberate act of vandalism. “It’s basically the iconic picture that everyone wants to see,” Alison Hawkins said at the time. “You can forgive nature doing it, but you can’t forgive that.” Det. Chief Inspector Rebecca Fenney said she recognized “the strength of feeling in the local community and further afield” but cautioned people against speculation or comment that could affect the criminal case.