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Family blame police for 'Putney pusher' suspect's death - Published The family of Nicholas Brandram have insisted he was not the so-called "Putney pusher" and have blamed the Metropolitan Police for his death. The 44-year-old was under suspicion of being the jogger who pushed a woman into the path of a bus during a run on Putney Bridge in west London in May 2017. Brandram's family said he "took his own life after months of immense pressure caused by a Metropolitan Police investigation" and there was no forensic evidence linking the banker to the incident. The Met said it recognised the "strain that being subject to a police investigation" could cause, and that a mandatory referral had been made to the police watchdog. The force said the investigation into the 2017 incident remained ongoing. In a statement, the family said there was "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." Brandram was arrested in June this year on suspicion of attempted grievous bodily harm. Last week, the Met confirmed he had been released under investigation. The banker was found dead in his home on Tuesday evening. The force said his death was being treated as "unexpected, but is not believed to be suspicious". An inquest into his death will open on Tuesday, the coroner's office said. 'Wholly unnecessary investigation' The family said that 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," they said. "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 it was having on Brandram's mental health, adding: "Even then, the investigation was not brought to an end. As a result, Nick is dead." Brandram was linked to the incident in April when a person contacted officers with information that opened new lines of inquiry, according to the Met. His arrest was deemed proportionate by officers in order to seize and search his devices as part of the investigation. The force emphasised that it had not named Brandram publicly when he was arrested or at any point before his death. 'Deeply distressing' While in police custody in June over the Putney Bridge incident, Brandram was also arrested on suspicion of possession of class A and class B drugs. Ch Supt Dan Knowles said: "Our thoughts are with Mr Brandram's family and friends at this deeply distressing time. "We recognise the significant impact his death will have on those who knew and loved him." He said that following Brandram's release under investigation, "it was made clear that inquiries would continue while officers progressed outstanding lines of inquiry and forensic examinations". "This remains the position, and further investigative work is ongoing," he added. Knowles, who leads policing in south-west London, said that cases involving "complex evidential and forensic work" could take "a number of months to complete". The Independent Office of Police Conduct confirmed it had received the Met's referral, which is being assessed. Shortly after the Putney Bridge incident on 5 May 2017, investigating officer Sgt Mat Knowles said: "It was only due to the superb quick reactions of the bus driver that she was not hit by the vehicle." Bus driver Oliver Salbris told the Sunday Times following the incident: "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." The Met said at the time that about 15 minutes after the push, the jogger came back the other way across the bridge and ignored the victim when she tried to speak to him. Detectives identified more than 50 people of interest following the incident. The Met had initially closed its investigation in 2018 after three men had been arrested and released without charge. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, external, X, external and Instagram, external. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk, external Related topics Related stories - Published1 day ago - Published15 June - Published16 June
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