Family Condemns Metropolitan Police After Death of Banker Investigated Over 2017 Putney Bridge Incident

The family of Nicholas Brandram has forcefully rejected allegations that he was the notorious "Putney pusher," placing direct blame on the Metropolitan Police for his death following an intensive investigation into the 2017 incident. In an emotional statement, relatives disclosed that the 44-year-old banker took his own life after enduring months of immense and exhausting psychological pressure stemming from the actions and conduct of the police force.

Brandram was found dead inside his home on Tuesday evening, bringing a tragic end to an inquiry that had drawn considerable public and media attention. Addressing the circumstances surrounding his passing, the Metropolitan Police stated that the death of the 44-year-old is being treated by officers as unexpected, although the force confirmed that it is not believed to be suspicious.

The investigation that engulfed Brandram's life centered on a widely publicised event that occurred on Putney Bridge in west London during 2017. In that incident, a male jogger crossing the bridge pushed a female pedestrian directly into the path of an oncoming bus, an assault that triggered a high-profile inquiry and left the public searching for the unidentified perpetrator.

Following Brandram's death, his grieving family issued a comprehensive statement insisting on his total innocence and firmly stating that he had no involvement in the assault. They argued that the Metropolitan Police had pursued an innocent man, maintaining that there was never any justifiable basis to connect the banker to the violent actions seen in the west London incident.

A central element of the family's condemnation rests on the complete absence of physical and forensic material linking Brandram to the scene. According to the family, authorities lacked any forensic evidence that could tie the 44-year-old to the bridge attack, leaving the basis of the police inquiry severely flawed from its inception.

The relatives further highlighted that investigators possessed no evidence demonstrating that Brandram was even present on Putney Bridge at the exact time the woman was pushed into the road. Moreover, they stressed that there was no credible evidence indicating that he was the male runner depicted in the widely circulated footage of the attack, asserting instead that the actual evidence proved the exact opposite of the police's working theory.

Despite the alleged lack of supporting evidence, Brandram was formally arrested by the Metropolitan Police in June of this year. Detectives executed the arrest under suspicion of attempted grievous bodily harm, marking a dramatic escalation in an inquiry into an incident that had occurred years earlier.

Following his arrest in June, Brandram was not immediately charged with a criminal offence but was instead subjected to continuing scrutiny. Just last week, the Metropolitan Police confirmed that the 44-year-old banker had been officially released under investigation, leaving him facing prolonged legal uncertainty and scrutiny while detectives continued their work.

The family has expressed severe frustration with the investigative procedures chosen by the Metropolitan Police, arguing that the force adopted an unnecessarily aggressive approach. In their statement, relatives criticised officers for choosing to formally arrest Brandram rather than extending an invitation for him to attend a voluntary police interview.

The heavy-handed nature of the inquiry was further compounded by the intrusive operational steps taken by the authorities. The family highlighted that police officers proceeded to conduct a search of Brandram’s personal residence, an action that deepened his distress and intensified the disruption to his private life during the course of the investigation.

Beyond the tactical handling of the arrest and search, the family levelled severe criticism at the communication practices of the Metropolitan Police press team. They stated that the press department released specific information regarding the case to the public, which inevitably sparked rampant speculation across news outlets and online platforms.

According to the family, this release of information directly led to Brandram being identified in subsequent media reporting. Being publicly tied to an infamous and violent crime severely damaged his life, subjecting him to intense public exposure and unverified assumptions before any judicial findings could be made.

The family described the cumulative toll of the police investigation, the home search, and the subsequent public identification as catastrophic to Brandram’s well-being. They reiterated that he ultimately died by suicide as a direct consequence of the months of immense, unyielding pressure imposed on him by the Metropolitan Police's protracted inquiry.

In light of the family's severe accusations regarding the conduct of the investigation and the circumstances surrounding Brandram's death, the Metropolitan Police has been approached for formal comment regarding the handling of the case and the claims made by the bereaved relatives.