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The sisters of a man suspected but later cleared of being the "Putney Pusher" criticise London's Metropolitan Police for how they handled his arrest and subsequent release under investigation. They claim police negligence led to their brother’s suicide after months of pressure from the investigation, which affected his mental health severely. The Met has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) regarding its interactions with Mr Brandram and maintains that further investigative work is ongoing despite releasing him.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-20,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On September 15, Nicholas Brandram, a 44-year-old London banker with ties to European royalty, was found dead at his home in Chiswick, west London. He was under investigation for the notorious "Putney Pusher" incident from May 2017 when surveillance footage showed a jogger pushing a woman into the path of an oncoming bus. Brandram had been arrested in June and released under investigation by the Metropolitan Police but was never formally charged. His family claims there is no forensic evidence linking him to the crime, only speculation. They maintain that police pressure led to his death. The incident garnered significant media attention due to the viral CCTV footage, though a suspect wasn't identified until Brandram's arrest in 2023.
Written for “Putney Pusher Suspect Death Controversy” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 24 other(s) covering the same event.
“My brother woke up to a large handful of police officers wearing armed vests with a film crew on the doorstep from the media,” the sisters said.
asserted
sisters → wake → media
“The Met, they were negligent, they were reckless and they have, you know, failed our brother,” they told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
asserted
they → know → programme
“They failed in their duty of care to our brother, to the wider family and arguably actually society because the Putney pusher is still out there."
asserted
pusher → fail → family
The sisters laid out a string of reasons why their brother was not the “Putney Pusher”.
asserted
brother → lay → reasons
“He had a withered leg from an injury sustained back from when he had been in the army.”
asserted
he → have → army
* "The victim had apparently reported that the attacker had had brown eyes.
asserted
attacker → report → eyes
Our brother had very clear blue eyes.”
asserted
brother → have → eyes
* "He had a prominent military tattoo on his forearm, which understandably would have been visible because the runner was wearing a T-shirt."
asserted
runner → have → shirt
* He offered to have the DNA test carried out privately to speed it up and to take part in an identity parade.
asserted
test → offer → parade
Mr Brandram’s family say the 44-year-old millionaire banker “took his own life after months of immense pressure” caused by the force’s investigation which impacted on his mental health.
asserted
which → say → health
The force has referred itself to the police watchdog over its contact with Mr Brandram, who was released under investigation following his arrest following the incident on May 5 2017.
uncertain
who → refer → May
But in a statement released on Thursday, Chief Superintendent Dan Knowles sought to defend the Met’s actions saying that “further investigative work” into what happened on Putney Bridge is “ongoing”.
asserted
what → release → Bridge
He said: “Our thoughts are with Mr Brandram’s family and friends at this deeply distressing time.
asserted
thoughts → say → time
“We recognise the significant impact his death will have on those who knew and loved him.
asserted
who → recognise → him
“We also understand the strain that being subject to a police investigation can place on individuals and their families.
asserted
being → understand → individuals
“The investigation remains ongoing.”
asserted
investigation → remain → ?
The Met previously said previously that Mr Brandram’s death was being treated as “unexpected” but not suspicious.
asserted
death → say → ?
Following the incident more than nine years ago, the force confirmed a 44-year-old man had been released under investigation after being arrested in June after a jogger was filmed running past a man before lashing out at the female pedestrian.
asserted
jogger → follow → pedestrian
Police added that he was additionally arrested on suspicion of possession of class A and class B drugs.
asserted
he → add → drugs
He said: “If I had not swerved...I would have smashed her head”, adding: “The consequences would have been terrible for her – and for me.”
It was reported at the time that around 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.
asserted
she → say → him
Detectives identified more than 50 people of interest in their investigation before closing the probe in 2018, saying all lines of inquiry had been exhausted.
asserted
lines → identify → inquiry
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