The family of Nicholas Brandram, a 44-year-old banker who was thrust into the center of a high-profile criminal investigation, has issued a scathing indictment of the Metropolitan Police, blaming the force for his death. Mr. Brandram was found dead at his home on Tuesday evening, just weeks after being arrested in connection with the notorious “Putney pusher” case.
In 2017, the Metropolitan Police launched a massive manhunt after CCTV footage captured a jogger appearing to shove a woman into the path of an oncoming bus on Putney Bridge in west London. The woman survived the near-fatal encounter, but the identity of the runner remained one of the capital’s most persistent mysteries for years.
Earlier this June, that investigation zeroed in on Mr. Brandram, leading to his arrest on suspicion of attempted grievous bodily harm. Following his release under investigation last week, the pressures of the public scrutiny took a devastating toll. In a statement released following his death, his family insisted that Mr. Brandram was innocent, asserting that he “took his own life after months of immense pressure caused by a Metropolitan Police investigation.”
The family’s statement categorically rejects the police’s interest in him, claiming there was “no forensic evidence” linking the banker to the incident. They further alleged that the investigation was fundamentally flawed from the outset, stating, “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.”
The Metropolitan Police confirmed the discovery of Mr. Brandram’s body, noting that the death is being treated as “unexpected, but is not believed to be suspicious.” However, the force has faced mounting questions regarding their handling of the case and the justification for the sustained pressure placed upon Mr. Brandram despite the family’s insistence that he had no involvement in the 2017 incident.
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police has been asked to comment on the family’s allegations, but as of now, the force has not provided further details regarding the status of the ongoing investigation into the Putney Bridge assault.
The tragic turn of events has reignited debates over police conduct during high-profile investigations and the psychological impact of being publicly named as a suspect in a major criminal case. For the family of Mr. Brandram, the loss is not merely a tragedy, but a preventable consequence of a pursuit they believe was driven by speculation rather than substance. As they mourn the loss of their relative, they remain resolute in their pursuit of accountability, maintaining that the police’s actions turned a man’s life upside down, leading to a conclusion they describe as entirely avoidable.
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