Nicholas Brandram, a 44-year-old former British Army captain and senior city banker, was found dead at his home in Chiswick, west London, on Tuesday, while still under investigation by the Metropolitan Police in connection with a 2017 incident on Putney Bridge. The case involves a jogger shoving a pedestrian into the path of an oncoming double-decker bus. Brandram’s family denies his involvement and has accused the police of mishandling the investigation, which they say contributed to his death by suicide.

The “Putney Pusher” incident occurred on May 5, 2017, around 7:40 a.m., when a woman walking on the bridge was shoved headfirst into the road by a jogger, narrowly avoiding a collision with the bus. Despite the seriousness of the case, the victim survived with minimal physical injury. The police released CCTV footage from inside the bus, which was traveling at approximately 12 mph, to identify the suspect.

Brandram, who had no prior public association with the case before being arrested in June, was suspended from his role as a director at HSBC’s private bank shortly after his detention. He was arrested in connection with the incident nine years after it occurred and was subsequently released under investigation. The Metropolitan Police confirmed that inquiries remain ongoing.

The family has strongly refuted any claim linking Brandram to the case, stating there was no forensic evidence placing him at Putney Bridge at the time, and no credible evidence identifying him as the jogger seen in the footage. They pointed to factors such as his “withered calf” injury and a forearm tattoo, which were not mentioned by any witnesses. They also said he provided an email timestamped at the time of the incident, which they claim he could only have accessed from his workplace, as well as volunteered for an identification parade and provided DNA samples to clear his name. As of his death, the family said the results of the DNA analysis had yet to be completed.

Brandram’s sisters have spoken publicly about his deteriorating mental health in recent weeks, describing him as overwhelmed by the pressure of the police investigation and the intense online abuse he faced after his name became associated with the case through media reporting and social media speculation. They said he told them the investigation was “murdering him” and that he “had no fight left.” He was admitted to a psychiatric hospital briefly before being discharged shortly before his death.

The family criticized the Metropolitan Police for their handling of the investigation, accusing them of letting the inquiry drag on despite warnings about Brandram’s mental health. They lamented that the police had not formally cleared his name, leaving him to endure stigma and public suspicion. The family has called for answers regarding how an innocent man was subjected to what they described as an unnecessary and damaging investigation.

The Metropolitan Police acknowledged the impact such investigations can have on individuals and families, offering condolences to Brandram’s loved ones. Chief Superintendent Dan Knowles said the inquiry remained active and that officers were continuing outstanding lines of inquiry and forensic work. The force also referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct over contact with Brandram during the investigation.

Additional details include that Brandram had been arrested on suspicion of drug possession during a search of his home but accepted a police community resolution. He was a decorated former Scots Guards officer who had served in Iraq, Bosnia, and Afghanistan, and had received a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012. He is survived by his mother and two sisters. His late father was the only child of Princess Katherine of Greece and Denmark.