16-year-old boy arrested in England over the 'deliberate' felling of a famous tree at Hadrian's Wall
LONDON -
A 16-year-old boy was arrested Thursday in northern England in connection with what authorities described as the "deliberate" felling of a famous tree that had stood for nearly 200 years next to the Roman landmark Hadrian's Wall.
Thousands of visitors each year walk along Hadrian's Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that guarded the Roman Empire's northwestern frontier. Many have paused to admire and photograph the tree at Sycamore Gap, a beloved icon of the landscape that was made famous when it appeared in Kevin Costner's 1991 film "Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves."
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
- Sign up for breaking news alerts from CTV News, right at your fingertips
Photographs from the scene on early Thursday showed that the tree was cut down near the base of its trunk, with the rest of it lying on its side.
Northumbria Police said the teen was arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage. He was in police custody and assisting officers with their inquiries, the force said.
"The tree is a world-renowned landmark and the vandalism has caused understandable shock and anger throughout the local community and beyond," police said in a statement.
"This is an incredibly sad day," police superintendent Kevin Waring said. "The tree was iconic to the North East and enjoyed by so many who live in or who have visited this region."
The Northumberland National Park authority asked the public not to visit the felled tree, which was voted English Tree of the Year in 2016.
Alison Hawkins, who was walking on the Hadrian's Wall path, was one of the first people who saw the damage early Thursday.
"It was a proper shock. It's basically the iconic picture that everyone wants to see," she said. "You can forgive nature doing it but you can't forgive that."
Shopping Trends
The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Global Affairs reports Canadian killed in Lebanon in connection with Israel-Hamas war
Global Affairs is reporting the death of another Canadian due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. This is the ninth casualty connected to Canada.
This Canadian couple used surrogacy to have a child. Here's what they want you to know
Families that need help conceiving a child are met with financial burdens that should be covered through government health care and insurance, advocates say.
From COVID-19 to alien contact, conspiracy theories are popular in Canada: survey
The Earth is flat. We have been secretly contacted by intelligent beings from other planets. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin did not land on the moon in 1969. They may sound like bizarre statements, but a new poll suggests a sizable number of Canadians believe in these and other conspiracy theories.
Renowned Quebec entrepreneur, partner reported dead in Caribbean
Quebec entrepreneur Daniel Langlois and his spouse Dominique Marchand have died in their adopted home of Dominica, in the Caribbean, a source has confirmed.
Renowned Canadian musician and former April Wine singer Myles Goodwyn dead at 75
Myles Goodwyn, the award-winning Canadian singer and songwriter who shot to stardom as the former lead singer of April Wine, has died at age 75.
Backlash continues following Moncton’s decision to not display the Menorah this year
Outrage seen from the community and across the country online after the news broke Friday that the City of Moncton would not display the Menorah this year.
Canada issues updated travel advisory for Guyana amid border dispute referendum in Venezuela
Amid a referendum that will see Venezuelans asked about the future of a chunk of neighbouring Guyana that Venezuela currently claims ownership over, Canada has adjusted its travel advisory to warn against travelling in Guyana near the border.
Another inmate dead at notoriously harsh Newfoundland jail, officials confirm
An inmate has died at Her Majesty's Penitentiary in Newfoundland, one of the oldest operating provincial jails in the country, officials with the provincial Justice Department confirmed.
Commercial ships hit by missiles in Houthi attack in Red Sea, U.S. warship downs 3 drones
Ballistics missiles fired by Yemen's Houthi rebels struck three commercial ships Sunday in the Red Sea, while a U.S. warship shot down three drones in self-defence during the hourslong assault, the U.S. military said. The Iranian-backed Houthis claimed two of the attacks.
Canada
-
Backlash continues following Moncton’s decision to not display the Menorah this year
Outrage seen from the community and across the country online after the news broke Friday that the City of Moncton would not display the Menorah this year.
-
From COVID-19 to alien contact, conspiracy theories are popular in Canada: survey
The Earth is flat. We have been secretly contacted by intelligent beings from other planets. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin did not land on the moon in 1969. They may sound like bizarre statements, but a new poll suggests a sizable number of Canadians believe in these and other conspiracy theories.
-
Renowned Quebec entrepreneur, partner reported dead in Caribbean
Quebec entrepreneur Daniel Langlois and his spouse Dominique Marchand have died in their adopted home of Dominica, in the Caribbean, a source has confirmed.
-
Global Affairs reports Canadian killed in Lebanon in connection with Israel-Hamas war
Global Affairs is reporting the death of another Canadian due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. This is the ninth casualty connected to Canada.
-
Another inmate dead at notoriously harsh Newfoundland jail, officials confirm
An inmate has died at Her Majesty's Penitentiary in Newfoundland, one of the oldest operating provincial jails in the country, officials with the provincial Justice Department confirmed.
-
'They're functioning': Toronto scientist's relatives released from Hamas captivity
Ten-year-old Ofri Brodutch had barely been released from weeks of captivity by Hamas in the Gaza Strip before she began talking about her next trip to Canada. But her uncle, Israeli-born, Toronto-based scientist Aharon Brodutch, says her excitement at the prospect of another summer spent visiting her Canadian cousins contrasts sharply with the rest of her current physical and mental state.
World
-
Commercial ships hit by missiles in Houthi attack in Red Sea, U.S. warship downs 3 drones
Ballistics missiles fired by Yemen's Houthi rebels struck three commercial ships Sunday in the Red Sea, while a U.S. warship shot down three drones in self-defence during the hourslong assault, the U.S. military said. The Iranian-backed Houthis claimed two of the attacks.
-
Israel expands Gaza ground offensive, says efforts in south will be 'no less strength' than in north
The Israeli military said Sunday its ground offensive had expanded to every part of Gaza, and it ordered more evacuations in the crowded south while vowing that operations there against Hamas would be "no less strength" than its shattering ones in the north.
-
Kyiv investigates allegations Russian forces shot surrendering Ukrainian soldiers
Ukrainian officials on Sunday launched an investigation into allegations that Russian forces killed surrendering Ukrainian soldiers -- a war crime if confirmed -- after grainy footage on social media appeared to show two uniformed men being shot at close range after emerging from a dugout.
-
Canada issues updated travel advisory for Guyana amid border dispute referendum in Venezuela
Amid a referendum that will see Venezuelans asked about the future of a chunk of neighbouring Guyana that Venezuela currently claims ownership over, Canada has adjusted its travel advisory to warn against travelling in Guyana near the border.
-
Former U.S. ambassador arrested in Florida, accused of serving as an agent of Cuba, AP source says
A former American diplomat who served as U.S. ambassador to Bolivia has been arrested in a long-running FBI counterintelligence investigation, accused of secretly serving as an agent of Cuba's government, The Associated Press has learned.
-
Fatal stabbing of German tourist by suspected radical puts sharp focus on Paris Olympics
A bloodstain by a bridge over the Seine river was the only remaining sign on Sunday of a fatal knife attack 12 hours earlier on a German tourist, allegedly carried out by a young man under watch for suspected Islamic radicalization.
Politics
-
'Meta took a bad decision': Canada's heritage minister says about Online News Act fallout
Canada's heritage minister insists the federal government is still working to get Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta back to the bargaining table to negotiate a deal to compensate Canadian news organizations as part of the regulatory process for the controversial Online News Act.
-
Liberals, NDP, Bloc accuse Conservatives of stalling Canada-Ukraine free trade deal
Conservatives faced a barrage of partisan fire Friday in the House of Commons as their political rivals accused the official Opposition of trying to stall measures aimed at helping Ukraine.
-
U.S. assassination attempt charges 'confirm' Trudeau's claims about India had 'real substance,' former national security advisers say
The indictment of an Indian national for the attempted assassination of a Sikh separatist and dual U.S.-Canadian national 'validates' Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations that the Indian government may have been involved in the killing of a Canadian citizen as having 'real substance,' according to two of Canada's former national security advisers.
Health
-
This Canadian couple used surrogacy to have a child. Here's what they want you to know
Families that need help conceiving a child are met with financial burdens that should be covered through government health care and insurance, advocates say.
-
Naloxone: What to know about the opioid overdose-reversing drug, free across Canada
Health Canada has called the opioid crisis one of the most serious public health threats in recent history, and an addictions specialist says everyone can play a part in helping reduce the death toll. All it takes is access to naloxone, a life-saving medication that temporarily reverses an opioid overdose.
-
Earth is running a fever. And UN climate talks are focusing on the contagious effect on human health
With Planet Earth running a fever, UN climate talks focused Sunday on the contagious effects on human health. Under a brown haze over Dubai, the COP28 summit moved to concerns about health issues like the deaths of at least 7 million people globally from air pollution each year and the spread of diseases like cholera and malaria as global warming upends weather systems.
Sci-Tech
-
Not so dead as a dodo: 'De-extinction' plan to reintroduce bird to Mauritius
An audacious collaboration between geneticists and conservationists plans to bring back the extinct dodo and reintroduce it to its once-native habitat in Mauritius.
-
Montana's first-in-the-nation ban on TikTok blocked by judge who says it's unconstitutional
Montana's first-in-the-nation law banning the video-sharing app TikTok in the state was blocked Thursday, one month before it was set to take effect, by a federal judge who called the measure unconstitutional.
-
James Webb Telescope confirms existence of massive dusty galaxy from early universe
New observations from the James Webb Space Telescope have confirmed the existence of a massive, dusty, star-forming galaxy which was first spotted years ago by a ground telescope, but was completely invisible to the Hubble Space Telescope.
Entertainment
-
Renowned Canadian musician and former April Wine singer Myles Goodwyn dead at 75
Myles Goodwyn, the award-winning Canadian singer and songwriter who shot to stardom as the former lead singer of April Wine, has died at age 75.
-
Beyonce's 'Renaissance' is No. 1 at the box office with $21 million debut
Beyonce ruled the box office this weekend. Her concert picture, 'Renaissance: A Film by Beyonce,' opened in first place with US$21 million in North American ticket sales, according to estimates from AMC Theatres Sunday.
-
Kiss say farewell to live touring, become first U.S. band to go virtual and become digital avatars
After 50 years of Kiss, the band is now interested in a kind of immortality, using digital avatars of themselves for virtual performances.
Business
-
Alaska Air to buy Hawaiian Airlines in a US$1.9 billion deal that may attract regulator scrutiny
Alaska Airlines said Sunday it agreed to buy Hawaiian Airlines in a US$1.9 billion deal, including debt, putting it on track for a potential clash with a Biden administration that has shown wariness about higher fares in the industry.
-
Casino workers with MGM Grand Detroit ratify deal, ending 47-day strike
Casino workers for MGM Grand Detroit have voted to ratify a new contract, ending a 47-day strike.
-
Plant-based meat industry still poised for growth despite recent setbacks: experts
Since the flurry of excitement over A&W's beef-free burger and the company behind it, the nascent plant-based meat industry has had to swallow a bitter pill: the exponential growth anticipated by many has not panned out. Yet industry experts say there's still plenty of growth in the future for plant-based meat products -- and several areas where the sector still needs investment.
Lifestyle
-
Rare Maud Lewis paintings up for auction online, valued at $35,000
Three rare Maud Lewis paintings are up for auction online today, estimated to be worth tens of thousands of dollars each.
-
Fire upends Christmas charity in Michigan but thousands of kids will still get gifts
Donations are pouring in at a beloved Christmas charity after smoke damage from a fire stymied plans for the delivery of wrapped gifts for thousands of children in western Michigan.
-
This Saskatoon man just turned 104 years old and he still likes to boogie
A Saskatoon man is celebrating a remarkable milestone this week as he turns 104 years old. With a life that has spanned over ten decades, Nick Kazuska is still going strong.
Sports
-
Goalkeeper Erin McLeod in good company for B.C. Place Stadium farewell
Erin McLeod joins Christine Sinclair and Sophie Schmidt in the spotlight Tuesday at B.C. Place Stadium.
-
Canada's Alexandria Loutitt claims World Cup ski jumping silver
Canada's Alexandria Loutitt earned World Cup silver in women's ski jumping action on Sunday.
-
Hoopla expected to hit new heights as Sinclair's farewell game in Vancouver nears
Canada's lopsided 5-0 win over an experimental Australia side in the rain Friday at Starlight Stadium and the hoopla surrounding it provided a taste of what is to come in Christine Sinclair's farewell game at B.C. Place Stadium.
Autos
-
BMW recalls SUVs after Takata air bag inflator blows apart, hurling shrapnel and injuring driver
BMW is recalling a small number of SUVs in the U.S. because the driver's air bag inflators can blow apart in a crash, hurling metal shrapnel and possibly injuring or killing people in the vehicles.
-
New technology installed beneath Detroit street can charge electric vehicles as they drive
Crews have installed what's billed as the nation's first wireless-charging public roadway for electric vehicles beneath a street just west of downtown Detroit.
-
New U.S. rules, aimed at curbing China, could limit tax credits for electric vehicles
The Biden administration proposed new rules Friday that could make it harder for electric vehicles to qualify for a full US$7,500 federal tax credit, complicating efforts to meet President Joe Biden's goal that half of new passenger vehicles sold in the U.S. run on electricity by 2030.
