Nicholas Brandram, the millionaire HSBC banker and former Army captain who was the prime suspect in the long-running Putney Pusher investigation, has been found dead at his home in Chiswick, west London. He was 44.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed they are not treating the death as suspicious at this time. A body was discovered at a property in the west London district, and the case has been passed to the coroner. No further details about the circumstances of the death have been released.
Brandram had been arrested earlier this year by detectives investigating the shoving of a female pedestrian into the path of a bus on Putney Bridge. The incident, which occurred nine years ago, was captured on CCTV and became one of the most widely shared and analysed crime clips in recent British history.
The footage showed a female pedestrian walking along the pavement of Putney Bridge when a male jogger appeared to push her from behind. She fell into the road and into the path of an oncoming bus. The bus driver swerved and avoided hitting her, and she sustained non-life-threatening injuries. The jogger continued running without stopping.
The case remained unsolved for years despite a high-profile appeal by the Metropolitan Police and extensive media coverage. The suspect became known as the Putney Pusher, and the investigation drew international attention as detectives struggled to identify the man in the grainy CCTV images.
Brandram, a former Army captain with links to royalty, worked as a senior banker at HSBC. His arrest earlier this year marked a significant development in the case, which had gone cold. He was questioned by police but not charged.
The death of the prime suspect raises questions about the future of the investigation. With the main suspect now deceased, the Crown Prosecution Service would be unable to pursue a prosecution. The Metropolitan Police have not indicated whether any other lines of inquiry remain open.
The case had been the subject of intense public speculation, with amateur detectives and online sleuths attempting to identify the jogger from the CCTV footage. The Metropolitan Police had offered a reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
Brandram's background as a wealthy City banker and former military officer added to the public fascination with the case. His links to royalty were noted in media reports, though the exact nature of those connections has not been fully detailed.
The discovery of his body brings a sudden and unexpected end to a story that had gripped the British public for nearly a decade. The Metropolitan Police have not commented on what the death means for the ongoing investigation, and it remains unclear whether the case will now be formally closed.
A spokesperson for the Met said the death is not being treated as suspicious, and the matter has been referred to the coroner. Inquest proceedings are expected to open in due course.