Nicholas Brandram, the war veteran arrested on suspicion of being the ‘Putney pusher’, was found dead at his home by his brother-in-law, an inquest has heard. The 44-year-old former banker was discovered unresponsive at his property on Cranbrook Road, Chiswick, West London, on September 15.
Inquest opened and suspended
Melanie Lee, area coroner for London West, opened and suspended an inquest into his death at West London Coroner’s Court on Tuesday afternoon. The coroner said Mr Brandram had failed to attend a family meal as planned on the evening of Tuesday, September 15, 2026.
‘His brother-in-law attended Nicholas’s home address and gained access using a spare key provided by a neighbour. Upon searching the house, he found Nicholas in an upstairs room. Paramedics attended and despite resuscitation, he was pronounced deceased at 8.58pm,’ Ms Lee said.
Death not treated as suspicious
The coroner added that the death had not been considered suspicious and there was ‘no evidence of third-party involvement’. Provisional results from a post-mortem examination indicated his death was ‘due to ligature compression of the neck’.
Mr Brandram was arrested in June in connection with an incident on Putney Bridge in which a jogger shoved a woman headfirst into the path of an oncoming bus on May 5, 2017. He was released under investigation following his arrest.
Police referral to IOPC
The Metropolitan Police has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) over its contact with Mr Brandram. The force said on September 17 that its investigation into the Putney Bridge incident remains ‘ongoing’ following his death.
‘I have been informed this afternoon that a referral has been made to the IOPC. On that basis I am suspending the inquest,’ Ms Lee said on Tuesday. She added that an ‘inquest is not a trial’ and ‘nobody and no organisation is on trial’.
Family criticism and support
Mr Brandram’s sisters, present at the inquest, previously accused police of failing him and wider society. They said they believed he took his own life following ‘months of immense pressure’ caused by the Met Police’s investigation.
In an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, sisters Alexia Hicks and Sophie Voelcker said he did not match the description of the attacker. Ms Hicks said there had been ‘urgency’ by the Met to arrest Mr Brandram and to have that reported in the press. ‘I think he couldn’t understand why there wasn’t urgency to help clear his name,’ she added.
The coroner told his family: ‘I offer my sincere condolences for your loss. I appreciate today will not be an easy day for you.’
