Putney pusher suspect's family accuse Met of negligence over his death
The family of Nicholas Brandram, suspected of being the Putney Pusher, say he took his own life after police pressure; the Met has referred itself to the watchdog.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The man suspected of being the so-called Putney Pusher was found dead at his home in West London, and his family have now accused the Metropolitan Police of being negligent and reckless in their investigation. Nicholas Brandram, 44, a former army officer and HSBC banker, was found unresponsive at his home in Chiswick on Tuesday evening. Police said his death was being treated as unexpected but was not believed to be suspicious.
Brandram had been arrested in June this year, nine years after a woman was pushed into the path of a bus on Putney Bridge in May 2017. The incident was captured on CCTV and went viral around the world. The bus driver swerved in time, saving the woman from serious injury. Police closed the original investigation in 2018 after identifying more than 50 people of interest and arresting three men who were later released without charge.
Following new information, Brandram was arrested on suspicion of attempted grievous bodily harm in June. He was released under investigation and never charged. While in custody he was also arrested on suspicion of possession of Class A and B drugs. According to his family, he was under immense psychological pressure throughout the investigation.
On Wednesday, Brandram's sisters spoke to the BBC, insisting he was innocent and criticising the police's handling of the case. They said he had blue eyes while the attacker in the footage had brown eyes, he had a prominent military tattoo on his forearm, and he also had a withered leg from a past injury. They said they had provided this evidence to police quickly. One sister said: "You know, the Met, they were negligent, they were reckless and they have, you know, failed our brother."
The family's statement, released earlier, said Brandram "took his own life after months of immense pressure caused by a Metropolitan Police investigation" and that "what should have been a careful investigation became a public ordeal from which he was given no escape." The statement also said there was "no forensic evidence linking Nick to it, no evidence placing him on Putney Bridge at the time, and no credible evidence that he was the man shown in the footage."
The Metropolitan Police responded by saying they recognised "the strain that being subject to a police investigation can cause" and that complex cases can take "a number of months to complete." The force also confirmed it had made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) over its prior contact with Brandram. The IOPC said it was assessing the referral before deciding whether any further action is required.
The investigation into the original Putney Bridge incident remains ongoing. An inquest into Nicholas Brandram's death is due to open on Tuesday.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Channel 5 | BBC One | ITV | Sky News |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicholas Brandram's family claim he took his own life because of police pressure. | ||||
| The Metropolitan Police referred itself to the IOPC over its contact with the man. | ||||
| Brandram was found unresponsive at a home in Chiswick and was arrested on suspicion of pushing a woman in front of a bus and possession of Class A and B drugs. | · | |||
| Brandram was a London banker and former army officer. | · | · | · | |
| Brandram was arrested on suspicion of possessing Class A and B drugs while in custody. | · | · | · | |
| Nicholas Brandram was a distant relative of British royalty and the grandson of Princess Catherine of Greece. | · | · | · | |
| Nicholas Brandram was arrested and bailed on suspicion of grievous bodily harm. | · | · | · | |
| Nicholas Brandram was released under investigation and never charged. | · | · | · | |
| Nicholas Brandram's death is not believed to be suspicious. | · | · | · | |
| Nicholas Brandram's inquest will open on Tuesday. | · | · | · | |
| The family called the Metropolitan Police reckless and negligent in its handling of the investigation. | · | · | · | |
| The family said there was no forensic evidence linking him to the incident. | · | · | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC ONE West provided the most detailed coverage, including the original CCTV description, Brandram's royal connections, and the sisters' emotional interviews. The reporting balanced the family's accusations with the Met's formal response, and also noted Brandram's past driving offence. The tone was factual but allowed the sisters' criticism to dominate the later updates.
- “Physically, you know, it's out there on the internet what the the so-called Putney pusher looked like. We provided evidence very quickly to show that this did not look like our brother.”
- “You know, the Met, they were negligent, they were reckless and they have, you know, failed our brother.”
- “The Metropolitan Police said it recognised the strain that being subject to a police investigation could cause.”
ITV1 focused on the family's direct blame of the police and the Met's referral to the watchdog. It also highlighted the drug arrest alongside the GBH suspicion, and framed the initial case as a viral manhunt. The tone was straightforward, with the family statement given prominence in the second segment.
- “The family are placing direct blame on the Metropolitan Police for the death of Nicholas Brandram.”
- “He lived with the shame, anxiety, humiliation, and extraordinary pressure created by a wholly unnecessary investigation.”
- “They have referred themselves to the police watchdog over their conduct.”
Sky News led with the IOPC referral and gave extensive space to the family statement, including specific claims about lack of forensic evidence and police warnings. It stressed the discrepancy in eye colour and the family's questioning of the Met's tactics. The tone was critical of the police's handling, with repeated references to the family's unanswered questions.
- “What should have been a careful investigation became a public ordeal from which he was given no escape.”
- “There was no forensic evidence linking Nick to it, no evidence placing him on Putney Bridge at the time.”
- “The police were reminded that they'd already been warned months earlier about the exceptional psychological pressure Nick was under.”
Channel 5's coverage emphasised the family's accusation that the police caused Brandram's death, and included the Met's written response. It also noted that his name had been widely reported in newspapers despite not being officially released. The report was concise but included the key elements of the family statement and the watchdog referral.
- “Nick took his own life after months of immense pressure caused by a Metropolitan Police investigation”
- “The statement then goes on to say we saw the strain the Humiliation and the pressure he was living under and the Met Police cannot say they did not know they had been warned Repeatedly and explicitly about the damage being done to Nick”
- “The Metropolitan Police is also obliged in a situation like this to refer itself to the policing watchdog and it has now done that”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.