Crime16 September, 20263 min read
Nicholas Brandram, Putney Pusher Suspect, Found Dead at Chiswick Home
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Nicholas Brandram, 44, found dead at his Chiswick home in west London. Prime suspect in the 2017 Putney Pusher case; arrested in June.
Death after Putney probe
Nicholas Brandram, 44, the man suspected of pushing a woman into the path of a bus during a run on Putney Bridge in west London in 2017, was found dead at his home in Chiswick on Tuesday evening. The Metropolitan Police said officers attended the property in Chiswick alongside paramedics "after a man was found unresponsive," and a spokesperson said "a 44-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene." Brandram had been arrested in June on suspicion of attempted grievous bodily harm, and the Met confirmed last week that he had been released under investigation.
The Putney Bridge incident involved CCTV showing just how close the woman came to being run over by the 430 bus, with the bus driver Oliver Salbris swerving at the last second. BBC reported that detectives identified more than 50 people of interest following the incident, and the Met had initially closed its investigation in 2018 after three men had been arrested and released without charge.
Family disputes and Met response
The Independent reported that the family of Nicholas Brandram insisted he was not the “Putney pusher,” saying "immense pressure" caused by the police contributed to his death. In a statement, the 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." The Independent also quoted Chief Superintendent Dan Knowles saying: "Our thoughts are with Mr Brandram’s family and friends at this deeply distressing time."
The Met Police said its investigation "remains ongoing" and referred itself to the police watchdog over contact with Mr Brandram before his death, while the Independent Office for Police Conduct said it was assessing the referral. The Independent further stated that on Wednesday the Met said Brandram’s death was being treated as "unexpected" and "not believed to be suspicious," and that it would prepare a file for the coroner in due course.
Investigation timeline and charges
LBC said Brandram was detained on June 15 at his home in Chiswick for attempted grievous bodily harm in relation to the 2017 Putney Bridge incident, when a jogger shoved a female pedestrian into the path of a double decker bus. LBC reported that police searched his house and subsequently rearrested him for possession of Class A and Class B drugs—believed to be cocaine and cannabis—and that the Met said he was released under investigation while enquiries continued. LBC also described the Met Police statement giving the time of the response: "At 19.12hrs on Tuesday, 15 September officers and the London Ambulance Service attended an address in Chiswick, Hounslow".
“If I hadn't swerved, I would have smashed her head.”
The BBC reported that while in police custody in June, Brandram was also arrested on suspicion of drug possession, and that the bus driver Oliver Salbris said: "If I hadn't swerved, I would have smashed her head." The Independent said police interviewed more than 50 men and arrested three suspects, but the case was closed in 2018 with no one ever charged, and it said Brandram was arrested on 15 June in connection with the case.