内容摘要：“We are gripping the situation and supporting our hardworking staff by improving training and recruiting 1,000 more probation officers nationally to deliver robust supervision and protect the public.”

“We are gripping the situation and supporting our hardworking staff by improving training and recruiting 1,000 more probation officers nationally to deliver robust supervision and protect the public.”

Mr Carruthers said he just "couldn't understand" the hysteria he was seeing on Facebook and he had wanted to talk about it with his friend."I didn't understand how a tree would be able to hit the headlines as much as it did," he said. "It was almost as if someone had been murdered."

He was asked about a voice note in which he said an online commenter, who criticised the vandals, lacked the "minerals" to "launch an operation like we did".Mr Carruthers told jurors: "I think it's been interpreted wrong."He said he had actually meant to say "he" instead of "we," referring to whoever who had felled the tree although he had "no idea" who that might be.

Mr Graham had also claimed Mr Carruthers was fascinated with the tree, treasured a piece of string he had used to measure its circumference and had "mentioned" cutting it down, then admitted he had done so in a call to Mr Graham the morning after and later asked his friend to "take the blame".Mr Carruthers told jurors none of that was true.

He also told the court he had used a chainsaw to trim trees but never to fell one.

In cross-examination, prosecutor Richard Wright KC asked Mr Carruthers who felled the tree.The Labour Police and Crime Commissioner for Cleveland, Matt Storey, said the "mindless disorder" had been "unacceptable".

"These individuals do not represent the people of Cleveland and their message of violence does not reflect the communities of Hartlepool," he said.Nancy Pout, manager of the Salaam Community Centre on Murray Street, described the violence as "terrifying".

She said staff had taken the decision to close the building at 16:00 BST amid "concerns" a vigil being staged at the cenotaph at Victoria Square could lead to trouble.Ms Pout said: "By six o'clock the peaceful vigil had turned into a protest with social media suggesting it was moving towards a mosque and our centre.