The family of Nicholas Brandram, the 44-year-old banker identified in media reports as the suspect in the so-called “Putney pusher” case, have issued a statement after he was found dead at his home in Hounslow, west London, on 16 September. The family maintains that Brandram was not the jogger who shoved a woman headfirst into the path of an oncoming bus on Putney Bridge in 2017, and they attribute his death to the stress of a Metropolitan Police investigation they say was unsupported by evidence.
Family statement: no forensic evidence linked Brandram to the 2017 incident
In a statement released following the discovery of Brandram’s body, his family 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.” They added that police chose to arrest him rather than invite him for an interview, and that a subsequent Met Police press release led to speculation and his identification in the media.
The family described the months following the arrest as a period of “shame, anxiety, humiliation and extraordinary pressure created by a wholly unnecessary investigation.” They said they repeatedly asked police to end the probe and warned about the impact on Brandram’s mental health, stating: “Even then, the investigation was not brought to an end. As a result, Nick is dead.”
Arrest came nine years after the attack on Putney Bridge
The incident occurred on 5 May 2017, when a jogger was filmed running past a man before lashing out at a female pedestrian on Putney Bridge in south-west London. The woman was pushed headfirst into the path of an oncoming bus. Bus driver Oliver Salbris managed to swerve to avoid crushing her, later telling the Sunday Times: “If I hadn’t swerved, I would have smashed her head. It was reflex. The consequences would have been terrible for her – and for me.”
According to reports at the time, approximately 15 minutes after the push, the jogger returned across the bridge and ignored the victim when she attempted to speak to him. Detectives identified more than 50 people of interest during the investigation before the case was closed in 2018, with police stating that all lines of inquiry had been exhausted.
Investigation reopened after nine years led to arrest
Brandram was arrested nine years after the incident, following a renewed police investigation. His family’s statement highlights that he was found dead in his Hounslow home on 16 September, the day before the statement was released. The Met Police have not yet commented on the family’s claims, and the circumstances surrounding Brandram’s death are still under investigation.
The family’s statement concludes: “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.” The case raises questions about the handling of the investigation and the impact of public identification on suspects before trial.
