COPS have searched the home of a former lumberjack who denied chopping down the Sycamore Gap tree.
Walter Renwick, 68, had insisted that he wasn’t the mystery feller after being named on social media on Friday, telling The Sun: “I didn’t do it.”
But forensic teams were seen parked outside his Plankey Mill farm in Northumberland today.
It’s located just eight miles from where the UK’s most famous tree had proudly stood for over 300 years at Hadrian’s Wall.
The tree was sawn at the base in what’s been described as an act of mindless vandalism.
An officer was outside Mr Renwick’s home early this morning, before a specialist search team arrived a short time later.
Three police vans were stationed in the driveway and at least seven officers trawled through the property as it was treated as a potential crime scene.
The raid at Mr Renwick’s home came just a day after he told The Sun that he’d had nothing to do with the felling.
He said: “I am a former lumberjack and I have just been kicked off my property, so I can see why people have pointed the finger.
“My brother came down to make sure I hadn’t been arrested as he had heard the rumours. It’s very sad. It’s an iconic tree.”
He went on: “But it was the perfect night to do it. There was a full moon so it would have been well lit and the wind would have meant there was barely any sound.
“Trees have their own DNA and you can use the dust to track down which tree was felled, so it’ll be easy to find who did it.”
A court demanded he leave the farm – where he ran a tourist campsite – following a legal battle that ran for more than two years.
During the case, he spoke of his link to his family home, leased under his late father’s name, saying: “I was born here. It is like a tree with roots.”
He was then granted a 28-day reprieve from eviction after the pensioner took his fight to Carlisle County Court.
But the farmer still faced eviction and now the Jesuits in Britain, who own the land, say they took possession of the property on September 21.
In a statement, Northumbria Police said they’d arrested a 16-year-old boy on suspicion of causing criminal damage.
He was released on bail yesterday pending further inquiries.
A man in his 60s was also arrested and remained in custody overnight.
