Sycamore Gap: Giant chainsaw found in mysteriously felled tree probe as cops search barn of former lumberjack
A GIANT chainsaw has been found in the Sycamore Gap tree probe as cops searched the barn of a former lumberjack.
Police concluded their two-day search at Walter Renwick’s isolated Plankey Mill farm in Northumberland, just eight miles away from where the UK’s most famous tree had proudly stood.
And the chainsaw – recovered from an outbuilding at the former campsite – was added to dozens more evidence bags.
Renwick, 69, was arrested by cops on Friday after the 300-year-old iconic tree was chopped down.
Hours before he told the Sun: “You’ve got the wrong feller.”
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.”
The pensioner 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.
He was released on bail yesterday as the police investigation continued.
A 16-year-old suspect has also been bailed.
A National Trust spokesperson said: “We are focused on making the site safe, and helping staff and the community come to terms with the news.
“We will be working with Northumberland National Park, other partners and the local community to consider plans for the site and the tree in the future.”