A millionaire banker and descendant of European royalty who had been arrested in connection with the long-running “Putney Pusher” investigation has been found dead at his home in west London.
Nicholas Brandram, 44, was discovered unresponsive inside a property in Chiswick, Hounslow, at around 7.12pm on Tuesday 15 September.
Emergency services attended, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Metropolitan Police said his death is being treated as unexpected but is not believed to be suspicious. His next of kin have been informed.
Brandram had been arrested in June at his west London home on suspicion of attempted grievous bodily harm as part of renewed enquiries into the notorious Putney Bridge incident.
He was released on bail before being arrested again the following day after officers allegedly discovered Class A and Class B drugs.
Brandram was subsequently released under investigation and had not been charged with any offence.
Royal connections and military career
Brandram was a grandson of Princess Katherine of Greece and Denmark and had connections to several European royal families.
He had worked in HSBC’s private banking division and had previously served as a British Army captain, including deployments to Iraq, Bosnia and Afghanistan.
His identity had previously been withheld while the police investigation remained ongoing.
The ‘Putney Pusher’ investigation
The original incident happened on Putney Bridge in May 2017, when CCTV captured a jogger shoving a woman into the path of an approaching bus.
The bus driver, Oliver Salbris, swerved to avoid hitting her, preventing what could have been a fatal collision.
Salbris later described his actions as instinctive, saying that without the last-second manoeuvre the consequences could have been devastating.
The disturbing CCTV footage triggered a major police investigation and widespread public appeal.
Despite dozens of potential suspects being considered and previous arrests being made, no one has ever been charged over the Putney Bridge attack.
Brandram remained under investigation when he died.
Police said: “His death is being treated as unexpected, but is not believed to be suspicious. His next of kin have been informed.”
The circumstances surrounding his death will now be considered by the coroner.
