UK teenager causes outrage by deliberately felling famous 200-years-old tree

A 16-year-old boy has been arrested 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 of the Hadrian’s Wall.

As reported by the Independent, the stone wall is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that guarded the Roman Empire’s northwestern frontier. It is visited by thousands of visitors annually, with the tree at the Sycamore Gap a beloved icon of the landscape, made famous when it appeared in Kevin Costner’s 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves.

Northumbria Police said the teen was arrested on suspicion of "a deliberate act of vandalism". He was in police custody and assisting officers with their inquiries but has already been released on bail. Although pending further inquiries, this is causing outrage within the community.