The family of Nicholas Brandram, the man suspected of being the 'Putney pusher', have spoken out after his death this week, insisting he was innocent and claiming he took his own life.
In a strongly worded statement, the family of the 44-year-old banker said he “took his own life after months of immense pressure caused by a Metropolitan Police investigation”. They said there was no forensic evidence linking Mr Brandram to the 2017 incident in which a jogger shoved a woman headfirst into the path of an oncoming bus on Putney Bridge in south-west London.
Family's statement on the evidence
In their 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. In fact, the evidence proved the opposite.
“Despite that, the police chose to arrest Nick rather than invite him to attend for interview. They searched his home and the Met Police press team then released information which inevitably led to speculation and Nick being identified in subsequent reporting.”
Impact of the investigation
The family added: “For Nick, the consequences did not disappear. He was left for months carrying the stigma of an appalling allegation which the police themselves clearly recognised was unsupported by the evidence.
“He lived with the shame, anxiety, humiliation and extraordinary pressure created by a wholly unnecessary investigation.”
They said the police were repeatedly asked to end their investigation and warned about the impact it was having on Mr Brandram’s mental health, saying: “Even then, the investigation was not brought to an end. As a result, Nick is dead.”
