Inquest into death of ‘Putney pusher’ suspect suspended pending police watchdog probe

An inquest into the death of a man treated as a suspect in the notorious unsolved ‘Putney pusher’ case has been suspended pending a police watchdog investigation.

Banker Nicholas Brandram, 44, was found dead at his home in west London last week after months under investigation over the crime, in which a jogger shoved a woman into the path of an oncoming bus on Putney bridge in 2017.

Mr Brandram’s family has insisted he was innocent and believe the former army captain took his own life after the Metropolitan Police failed to formally clear his name.

At a hearing at West London Coroner’s Court on Tuesday, coroner Melanie Lee suspended the inquest into his death pending an Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) probe into the Metropolitan Police’s contact with Mr Brandram.

The coroner’s court heard he was found at his home in Chiswick, west London, on 15 September after he failed to attend a family meal.

Mr Brandram, a descendant of Queen Victoria, was arrested in June, more than nine years after the incident. He was bailed pending investigation but his family say he was identified online after his arrest.

His family said he offered to pay for a private DNA test to try to clear his name, as they slammed the police as “negligent” and “reckless” in its handling of the investigation.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Friday, his sisters Alexia Hicks and Sophie Volker said he had been “failed” by the police, who they said he had put his faith in to clear his name.

They claimed the initial arrest was made after a statement from a witness saying Mr Brandram looked like the Putney pusher.

“My brother woke up to a large handful of police officers wearing armed vests with a film crew on the doorstep from the media,” Ms Volker said. “Our brother was taken in for questioning and released on bail later that day. Then the turmoil started.”

She said a “leak” to the media revealing details that were “distinguishing” led to his identification on social media, and that he was instantly seen as “guilty” online despite not being charged.

His sisters insisted leaks had “scuppered” the investigation and prevented police from being able to carry out a line-up.

Ms Hicks said the family had provided evidence there was “absolutely nothing” connecting their brother to the attack, and said the statement linking him “must have been malicious or mistaken”.

They added his mental state “deteriorated” as the police investigation continued and that “every day was becoming difficult” for him.

Police had first told Mr Brandram they were awaiting the imminent results of a DNA test which he “willingly” gave a sample for, but just days before he died had told him they could no longer provide a date for the results, his sisters claimed. They also said Mr Brantham’s lawyers had offered to get a test done privately in order to speed up the process.

“I think the police’s urgency to get him arrested, the urgency to get it in the press, I think he couldn’t understand why there wasn’t urgency to help clear his name,” they added.

“We put faith into the justice system, we put faith into the Metropolitan Police. We wanted them to carry out their investigation because we’re so sure that Nick is innocent. Nick was sure he is innocent, the police know he is innocent.”

The Met police said on Thursday the investigation is “ongoing” and that it had referred itself to the police watchdog over contact with Mr Brandram before his death.

Chief Superintendent Dan Knowles said: “Our thoughts are with Mr Brandram’s family and friends at this deeply distressing time. We recognise the significant impact his death will have on those who knew and loved him.

“We also understand the strain that being subject to a police investigation can place on individuals and their families.”