The Metropolitan Police has made a mandatory referral to the IOPC over its contact with Nicholas Brandram, after the banker was found dead at his Chiswick home following months of investigation into the 2017 Putney Bridge incident.
The Metropolitan Police has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) over its prior contact with Nicholas Brandram, a suspect in the so-called Putney Pusher case, after he was found dead at his home in Chiswick, West London. The 44-year-old, a descendant of Queen Victoria and a former Army officer, had been investigated in connection with an incident on Putney Bridge in May 2017, in which a woman was pushed into the path of an oncoming bus. His grieving family say he took his own life after enduring “months of immense pressure,” and have accused the force of failing to clear his name before his death.
Referral to police watchdog
Ambulance and police crews discovered Mr Brandram’s body at his home on Tuesday evening. The Metropolitan Police described his death as “unexpected” but not suspicious, and has since made a mandatory referral to the IOPC regarding officers’ prior contact with him. An IOPC spokesman said: “We have received a mandatory referral from the Met Police relating to prior contact officers had with Nicholas Brandram, who was sadly found unresponsive and declared deceased on 15 September. We are currently assessing the referral before deciding whether further action is required from us.”
Family says evidence pointed away from him
In a statement issued following his death, Mr Brandram’s family said the Metropolitan Police had known he was not responsible for the Putney Bridge incident, yet had failed to formally clear his name before he died. “The Met Police knew he was not [the Putney Pusher],” the family said. “And yet, when Nick died, they had still failed formally to clear his name. That is a source of profound grief and anger for our family.”
The family said there had been no forensic evidence linking him to the incident, nor anything placing him on Putney Bridge at the time. “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,” they said. “In fact, the evidence proved the opposite. Despite that, the police chose to arrest Nick rather than invite him to attend for interview.” They added that he had “lived with the shame, anxiety, humiliation and extraordinary pressure created by a wholly unnecessary investigation.”
The original Putney Bridge incident
The case dates back to May 2017, when a woman was pushed into the path of a 12-tonne bus on Putney Bridge, which spans the River Thames in South West London. Images captured at the time showed the bus narrowly missing her. In the course of their investigation, detectives interviewed 50 men and arrested three suspects, including an American investment banker who was later found not to have been in the country at the time of the incident. No one was ever charged in connection with the case, and the investigation was wound down in 2018 due to a lack of viable leads.
Brandram’s arrest and bail
According to the family’s account, Mr Brandram’s arrest followed his separation from his second wife, with whom he had a young son, and it is understood that police were contacted by someone close to his estranged wife with information relating to the Putney Pusher case. He was held on suspicion of attempted grievous bodily harm, and while in custody was further arrested on suspicion of possessing Class A and B drugs, believed to be cocaine and cannabis. He was bailed later the same day.
His bail conditions, which can extend for a maximum of three months, were cancelled last week, though detectives had informed him he remained under investigation, without any specific conditions or timeframe attached.
