'Putney pusher' suspect found dead at home

The man suspected of pushing a woman into the path of a bus during a run on Putney Bridge in west London in 2017, has been found dead at his home.

Nicholas Brandram, 44, was under investigation in the so-called "Putney pusher" case, after CCTV went viral showing just how close the woman came to be run over by the 430 bus, in a seemingly unprovoked attack.

He was arrested in June this year on suspicion of attempted grievous bodily harm. Last week, the Metropolitan Police confirmed he had been released under investigation.

The banker was found dead in his home on Tuesday evening. The Met said his death was being treated as "unexpected, but is not believed to be suspicious".

A spokesperson for the force said officers attended the property in Chiswick alongside paramedics "after a man was found unresponsive".

"Sadly, a 44-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene. His next-of-kin have been informed," they said.

Brandram, who served as a Captain in the Scots Guards in Afghanistan, was working more recently in private banking for HSBC.

He is a distant relative of European royalty - his grandmother was Princess Katherine of Greece, and the late Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, was his father's godfather.

While in police custody in June over the Putney Bridge incident, Brandram was also arrested on suspicion of drug possession.

Shortly after the incident in 2017, investigating officer Sgt Mat Knowles said: "It was only due to the superb quick reactions of the bus driver that she was not hit by the vehicle."

Bus driver Oliver Salbris told the Sunday Times following the incident: "If I hadn't swerved, I would have smashed her head.

"It was reflex. The consequences would have been terrible for her – and for me."

Detectives identified more than 50 people of interest following the incident.

The Met had initially closed its investigation in 2018 after three men had been arrested and released without charge.

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