Family of Putney Pusher suspect says Met ignored evidence he was innocent
The sisters of Nicholas Brandram, a wealthy banker suspected of the 2017 Putney Pusher assault, say they gave detectives evidence proving he could not be the jogger before he took his own life. They accuse the Metropolitan Police of negligence and say a DNA test will clear his name.
The family of Nicholas Brandram, the wealthy banker who was identified as a suspect in the 2017 «Putney Pusher» assault, has accused the Metropolitan Police of ignoring evidence that proved he could not have been the jogger before he took his own life. His sisters say they provided detectives with an email and other material showing he was innocent, but that officers failed to act on it.
Brandram was linked to the case after a woman was pushed into the path of a bus on Putney Bridge in May 2017. The incident, captured on CCTV, sparked a global manhunt for a jogger who appeared to shove the woman before running on. The woman was not seriously injured, but the footage circulated widely and the case remained open for years.
According to his family, Brandram was never charged and consistently denied any involvement. His sisters claim they handed the Metropolitan Police five pieces of evidence that ruled him out, including an email that they say proved he was elsewhere at the time of the incident. They allege that detectives failed to follow up on this material, leaving Brandram under suspicion until his death.
The sisters have described the force's handling of the investigation as «negligent» and «reckless». They say their brother was «failed» by the system he trusted to clear his name, and they blame Scotland Yard for his death. A DNA test, they insist, will confirm that he was not the jogger.
The case has raised questions about how the Metropolitan Police conducts high-profile investigations and how suspects are treated when evidence emerges that could exonerate them. The family's claims suggest a breakdown in communication and a failure to properly assess material that could have ended the suspicion against Brandram much earlier.
A police minister has said it is up to the Metropolitan Police to explain its investigation. The force has not yet responded in detail to the family's allegations, but the case is likely to intensify scrutiny of its handling of the Putney Pusher inquiry.
Brandram, a successful banker, was never publicly named by police as a suspect during his lifetime. His family say the stress of being linked to the case contributed to his decision to take his own life. They are now calling for a full review of the investigation and for the DNA test results to be made public.
The Putney Pusher case has been one of the most widely reported unsolved assaults in recent British history. The CCTV footage of the incident was viewed millions of times, and police received numerous tips from the public. Despite the attention, no one has ever been charged.
The family's allegations come amid broader concerns about the Metropolitan Police's performance and accountability. The force has faced criticism in several high-profile cases in recent years, and the Putney Pusher investigation is now likely to become another example cited by those calling for reform.
For Brandram's sisters, the priority is clearing their brother's name. They say the evidence they provided was clear and should have been acted upon immediately. Instead, they argue, the police allowed suspicion to hang over him until it was too late.
