A retired lumberjack accused of felling one of Britain’s most famous trees is protesting his innocence after being interrogated by police and dragged through the mud on social media.
Walter Renwick, 69, was taken into custody at the weekend before denying he chopped down the 300-year-old landmark at Sycamore Gap along Hadrian’s Wall.
At least seven police officers in three police vans turned up at Plankey Mill farm to search Walter’s property. Why is he even a suspect, though? Well, first of all, the cut was so good that only a professional logger could have done it. Secondly, Walter was recently ordered to quit the property where he ran a tourist campsite after losing a two-year legal battle. So the idea is that he was grudging so hard that he decided to chop down the legendary tree as revenge.
Walter insists he’s not ‘stupid’ enough to do such a thing, and that he isn’t in good enough health to commit such a crime anyway. He told MailOnline:
“The speculation is bloody ridiculous. ’ll tell you this much, I wouldn’t be so sad to do that. It was a lovely tree, an iconic tree, but I mean to go up there and cut that down, I’m not that stupid.
It makes it sound like me, doesn’t it, because it was a good cut. It was dark obviously but it was a lovely moonlit night… the cut was brilliant. When I say brilliant, you can tell a good lumberjack by the way he cuts a tree down. I haven’t seen the cut obviously, but I have seen it on the computer.”
Detectives continue to investigate after claims that the damage was done by ‘a professional who knew where they were going to cut’ on a windy night during 83mph Storm Agnes which would possibly have disguised the sound of a chainsaw ripping through a 70ft tree. Walter added:
“I didn’t do it. I am a former lumberjack and I have just been kicked off my property, so I can see why people have pointed the finger.”
Unless Walter Renwick is such a confident bluffer that he would share his photos and speak to the tabloids about this despite being guilty as sin, I’ve got a feeling he’s telling the truth. Seeing as they know for sure this was carried out by a professional (or an expert, at least), you’d expect the police to visit every lumberjack and chainsaw owner in the area. Is there some kind of testing they can do on the sawdust? Or maybe the unique patterns left by each chainsaw?
Aside from Walter, a 16-year-old boy was also arrested but then released on bail pending further enquiries. Whoever did this has to be one of the worst people in the UK right now so here’s hoping they get their man (or woman) sooner rather than later. As for the tree itself, not a lot that can be done now I guess. Looks like we’ve got a few decent logs in time for Christmas, though!
For unreal footage of 4 people being struck by lightning while taking cover under a tree, click HERE.
