The family of Nicholas Brandram has highlighted five pieces of “evidence” they say shows he was not the so-called “Putney Pusher”.
The 44-year-old millionaire banker was found dead at his home in Chiswick, west London, on Tuesday.
Mr Brandram was arrested in June over an incident on Putney Bridge nearly 10 years ago, when a woman was pushed into the path of an oncoming bus by a jogger. The Metropolitan Police said earlier this month he had been released under investigation.
In a statement issued on Thursday, his family said Mr Brandram had taken his own life after “months of immense pressure” caused by the Met’s investigation into him.
They insisted he was innocent and held the Met responsible for his death. The force has since referred itself to the police watchdog over its contact with Brandram.
Mr Brandram’s family said that his lawyers “did the basic investigative work that should have been done by the Met Police”.
In a statement, they 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. In fact, the evidence proved the opposite.
Here are the five things highlighted by the family in their statement they claim prove his innocence:
1. Eye colour - The family pointed out that the CCTV images of the man involved in the assault “bore no resemblance to Nick”. They say the victim described the attacker as having brown eyes, whereas Mr Brandram had blue eyes.
2. A leg injury - Mr Brandram’s family said he had a “visibly wasted and disfigured calf” dating back to his time serving in the Army, which they say the man in the CCTV footage did not have.
3. A tattoo on his forearm - Mr Brandram, the family say, had a “prominent forearm tattoo” which was “not visible on the man in the images”.
4. Identification parade — The banker’s family said he was willing to take part in an identification parade, but according to their statement, the police never organised one.
5. Alibi - Mr Brandram’s family said he provided email evidence sent from his office in the West End demonstrating that he was not on Putney Bridge when the assault happened.
They said he had walked from his home in Notting Hill Gate to his office in Bond Street before sending an email to his sisters, and had passed that evidence on to the police.
Taking aim at Met Police, Mr Brandram’s family said the force were repeatedly asked to end their investigation and warned about the impact it was having on his mental health, saying: “Even then, the investigation was not brought to an end. As a result, Nick is dead.”
Chief Superintendent Dan Knowles, in charge of policing for south west London, said: “Our thoughts are with Mr Brandram’s family and friends at this deeply distressing time. We recognise the significant impact his death will have on those who knew and loved him. We also understand the strain that being subject to a police investigation can place on individuals and their families.
"The investigation remains ongoing. Following Mr Brandram’s release under investigation, it was made clear that enquiries would continue while officers progressed outstanding lines of enquiry and forensic examinations. This remains the position, and further investigative work is ongoing.
"Investigations of this nature, particularly those involving complex evidential and forensic work, can take a number of months to complete as officers gather and assess all available evidence.
"As is required whenever a person dies following previous contact with police, a mandatory referral was made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) on 16 September."
The unsolved case of the Putney Pusher became one of Britain’s most notorious.
A jogger was filmed on CCTV running past a man before shoving the female pedestrian into the path of the bus on May 5 2017.
Bus driver Oliver Salbris told the Sunday Times if he had not swerved “I would have smashed her head”, adding: “The consequences would have been terrible for her – and for me.”
The victim escaped the ordeal with only minor injuries.
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.
Detectives identified more than 50 people of interest in their investigation and arrested two suspects before winding down the probe in 2018 over a lack of viable leads.
Mr Brandram’s arrest in June followed his separation from his second wife, with whom he had a young son, the Sun reported.
It is understood police were contacted by someone close to his estranged wife with information about the Putney Pusher, the newspaper reported.
The banker was held on suspicion of attempted grievous bodily harm (GBH).
While in custody he was further arrested on suspicion of possessing Class A and B drugs, believed to be cocaine and cannabis.
He was bailed later that day.
His bail – which extends for a maximum of three months – was cancelled last week.
Detectives informed him he was being kept under investigation though without any conditions or length of time.
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