Right, let's set the scene.
It's the middle of the night. There's a storm battering Northumberland. Two lads from Cumbria, let's call them Darren and Andy, decide this is the perfect moment to execute what a judge would later describe, brilliantly, as a 'moronic mission.'
They drive over forty minutes. They haul their gear across pitch-black moorland in the howling wind and rain. And then, in under three minutes, they chainsaw down a sycamore tree that had been standing for over a century, a tree so famous it once appeared in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves with Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman. A tree that people travelled from across the world just to photograph beside Hadrian's Wall.
Gone. Just like that.
Not content with the act itself, Andy filmed the whole thing on his phone while Darren did the chopping. They also snapped off a chunk of the wood as a trophy, which, by the way, has never been found, and then apparently sat at home enjoying the media frenzy they'd caused. International headlines. That was the goal, apparently.
The tree also damaged Hadrian's Wall when it fell. You know. The ancient Roman monument. As if one count of catastrophic stupidity wasn't enough.
Both were convicted of criminal damage and handed sentences of over four years. The judge ruled they'd serve 40% behind bars. Andy got out in April. Darren followed recently, released on licence after about 16 months plus remand time. If either of them steps out of line, they're straight back in.
The Ministry of Justice called it a 'disgraceful crime.' That might be the understatement of the decade.
Two grown men. A chainsaw. A storm. And absolutely nothing better to do with their evening.
So, do you reckon 16 months was enough, or did the punishment fit the crime? Let us know below.