Family of ‘Putney pusher’ suspect blame police for dying insisting ‘he is harmless’
Nicholas Brandram was the subject of a Metropolitan Police investigation into the infamous incident where a runner shoved a woman headfirst into the path of an oncoming bus on Putney Bridge in 2017
A man suspected of being the Putney pusher took his own life, say his family(Image:
MET POLICE
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The family of Nicholas Brandram have insisted he was not the so-called “Putney pusher” and said he “took his own life after months of immense pressure caused by a Metropolitan Police investigation”.
Mr Brandram’s family said there was no forensic evidence linking the 44-year-old banker to the 2017 incident in which a jogger shoved a woman headfirst into the path of an oncoming bus on Putney Bridge in south-west London.
Brandram had been arrested in June in connection with the incident. The Metropolitan Police said he had been released under investigation following his arrest over the incident on May 5, 2017. His family denied his involvement in the incident and claimed the police had no forensic evidence linking him to it.
The jogger runs towards a woman before the shocking incident(Image:
MET POLICE
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The family said in a statement, they said: “There was no forensic evidence linking Nick to it, no evidence placing him on Putney Bridge at that time, and no credible evidence that he was the man shown in the footage. In fact, the evidence proved the opposite.
“Despite that, the police chose to arrest Nick rather than invite him to attend for interview. They searched his home and the Met Police press team then released information which inevitably led to speculation and Nick being identified in subsequent reporting.”
The family added: “For Nick, the consequences did not disappear. He was left for months carrying the stigma of an appalling allegation which the police themselves clearly recognised was unsupported by the evidence.
“He lived with the shame, anxiety, humiliation and extraordinary pressure created by a wholly unnecessary investigation.”
They said the police were repeatedly asked to end their investigation and warned about the impact the investigation was having on Mr Brandram’s mental health, saying: “Even then, the investigation was not brought to an end. As a result, Nick is dead.”
Brandram was discovered on Tuesday night in Chiswick, West London. Back in May 2017, the world was shocked when a woman was pushed in front of a double decker bus by a jogger.
The woman’s head was narrowly missed by the bus whose driver swerved just in time(Image: Met Police)
The driver saved her life by swerving and narrowly missing her head before CCTV footage of the incident went massively viral. The culprit was never brought to justice despite a sizable police investigation.
Officers and the ambulance service attended the scene at Mr Brandram’s home on Tuesday night. The Met said: “At 19.12hrs on Tuesday, 15 September officers and the London Ambulance Service attended an address in Chiswick, Hounslow after a man was found unresponsive inside a property.
“Sadly, a 44-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene. His next-of-kin have been informed. At this time his death is being treated as unexpected, but is not believed to be suspicious. A file will be prepared for the coroner in due course.”
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson added: “We were called at 7.55pm on Tuesday 15 September to reports of an incident.
“We sent resources to the scene including an ambulance crew, a paramedic in a fast response car, an advanced paramedic and a clinical team manager. Very sadly, a person was pronounced dead at the scene.”
The Metropolitan Police have been approached for comment.
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