Tree killer used saw for 'wanton' criminal damage attack on mature Acer in Kettering residential street

A man who took a saw to a mature tree to ‘ringbark’ a large Acer in order to kill it has been given a conditional caution for the offence.

The 52-year-old man was spotted by horrified residents who reported his actions to Northants Police – he admitted the crime in an interview.

As well as being given a conditional caution for the offence, he was ordered to pay £2,000 compensation to North Northamptonshire Council and £500 to a local environment charity.

PC Mike Ryan from Kettering’s Neighbourhood Policing Team said: “This is a positive result for the local community and I would like to thank them for reporting this matter to us.

“There is often a false perception that we do not respond to incidents of criminal damage, but we do, and I hope that message is loud and clear to potential future offenders.”

The incident happened on May 26, 2022, when concerned residents videoed the man ringbarking the mature Acer tree with a handsaw.

Ring barking or girdling causes irreparable damage to vital vessels that transfer nutrients up from the roots to the leaves. They are protected under the bark of the tree and cutting them can kill a tree.

Cllr Dez Dell (Green, Clover Hill) said: “I was very upset to learn about the killing of this mature street tree.“There are so many benefits our street trees provide, including the obvious haven for nature and wildlife, but also that they reduce surface water and flooding, remove pollutants from the air and the shade they provide is invaluable, especially as our summers get hotter. For those not so nature minded, they also increase house prices.“We know trees are so important in the fight against climate change, which is why hundreds have been planted around Kettering in the last few years. However, it will take years before these new trees will sequester as much carbon as our decades old mature street trees. It’s tragic that all the work the community puts into these tree-planting events is undermined by this wanton destruction.“Unfortunately, this is not the only case I have heard of people attempting to kill street trees. I find it bizarre that people can move to a street that has had trees for a hundred years and then want to destroy them - the trees were there before us and should be there after us.“

Cllr Harriet Pentland, North Northamptonshire Council’s executive member for climate and the green environment, said: “I am sure many local residents will be as saddened as I was to see the video evidence of someone deliberately and intentionally killing a mature street tree.

“We would like to express our thanks to Northamptonshire Police for their positive action in identifying and prosecuting the offender. We hope this will send out a strong message that the council and the police will seek to prosecute anyone who deliberately causes damage and harm to the much-loved community trees."