The man suspected of pushing a woman into the path of a bus on Putney Bridge in 2017 has been found dead at his home in west London, the Metropolitan Police have confirmed.
Who was under investigation
Nicholas Brandram, 44, had been under investigation in the so-called “Putney pusher” case after CCTV footage went viral showing a woman narrowly avoiding being hit by a number 430 bus during a run on the bridge, in what appeared to be an unprovoked attack. He was arrested in June this year on suspicion of attempted grievous bodily harm, and the Met confirmed last week that he had since been released under investigation.
Brandram was found dead at his home in Chiswick on Tuesday evening. Police said officers and paramedics attended the property after a man was found unresponsive, and that a 44-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene. His death is being treated as unexpected but not currently regarded as suspicious, and his next of kin have been informed.
Background
Brandram had served as a Captain in the Scots Guards, including a deployment to Afghanistan, and more recently worked in private banking for HSBC. He also had royal connections: he was a descendant of Queen Victoria through his great-grandfather, King Constantine I of Greece, and his grandmother was Princess Katherine of Greece. The late Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, was his father’s godfather.
During his arrest in June over the Putney Bridge incident, Brandram was also arrested on suspicion of drug possession.
The 2017 incident
The original incident, nine years ago, prompted a major police appeal after footage showed how close the woman came to serious injury. The investigating officer at the time credited the bus driver’s fast reactions with preventing the woman from being hit. The Met had originally closed its investigation into the case in 2018 after three men were arrested and later released without charge, before the inquiry was reopened and identified more than 50 people of interest.
