Daniel Graham, 30, thought his friends were the only ones to notice the name he shares with one of the Sycamore Gap tree suspects – but soon he received abuse from online sleuths who incorrectly identified him
Daniel Graham received messages from people mistaking him for one of the suspects (
Image: Daniel Graham / facebook)
A lumberjack has claimed social media users have confused him with a suspect arrested over the felling of the iconic Sycamore Gap tree.
Daniel Graham, 30, from near Alnwick in Northumberland, claimed social media sleuths had sent him abusive messages believing him to be one of the suspects who allegedly cut down the tree in September last year – and pleaded with them to stop bombarding him with abuse that he said could ruin his business.
One of the arrested men shares the same name as Graham, although he is 38 years old and is from Cumbria. Graham, a self-employed forestry contractor, shares photos of himself at work to promote his business and believed the images led people to believe him to be one of the suspects. But his message to his harassers was clear: “Stop pestering me.”
Graham was mistaken for one of the suspects who allegedly cut down the famous Sycamore Gap tree
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Image:
Daniel Graham / facebook)
“At first it was friends taking the ****, but then people started getting in touch thinking it was me,” Graham told MailOnline. “Some quite nasty people asking if it was me or just sending messages like, ‘Oh my god,’ thinking it was me.” He believes his photos showing him with felled trees and chainsaws led people to suspect he could have been behind the felling of the iconic tree. Graham’s work has taken him across the north of England where he carried out forestry jobs.
“So, if you put my name and anything tree related I’m probably the first person that comes up and people just think it must be me,” he added. “The problem is I get a lot of phone calls and texts regarding my business, so now I’ve got to filter through this as well just to get the ones I actually need to read.”
Graham’s job takes him across the north of England
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Image:
Daniel Graham / facebook)
According to MailOnline, Graham lives about 30 miles from Sycamore Gap which once stood next to Hardian’s Wall. He branded the cutting down of the tree as “an act of vandalism.” The other Graham who allegedly felled the tree lives almost 100 miles away in Carlisle.
Graham continued: “I’m worried that down the line people will forget the age and where people come from and they will just remember the name Daniel Graham and I’ll be stuck with it. It’s annoying and frustrating – I can see it impacting my business down the line. It is just a coincidence. I don’t even know anyone else called Daniel Graham and now there’s another one basically on my doorstep.” The Mirror has contacted Graham for comment.
Daniel Graham, 38, and Adam Carruthers, 31, were charged yesterday with causing criminal damage to the famous tree, the Crown Prosecution Service said. Specialist prosecutor for CPS North East’s Complex Casework Unit Gary Forthergill said: “”We remind all concerned that criminal proceedings against the defendants are active and that they have a right to a fair trial. It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary, or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.”
The cutting down of the iconic tree sparked a national outcry when it was believed to have been felled overnight between September 27 and 28 in a “deliberate act of vandalism.” The trunk was removed on October 12 after it was first cut into smaller pieces and then stored in an undisclosed location. It was featured in the 1991 Robin Hood film and was also awarded the English Tree of the Year prize by the Woodland Trust in 2016. The National Trust is keeping its options open as to the future of the tree’s different pieces.
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