Nicholas Brandram, a 44-year-old City banker and former Army officer, died by suicide this week, days after being arrested in June as a suspect in the 2017 "Putney Pusher" case—where a woman was pushed off the pavement into a bus on Putney Bridge. His family has accused the Metropolitan Police of driving him to his death, claiming the investigation was baseless and that he was awaiting a DNA test they believed would have exonerated him. The case has prompted scrutiny of the police investigation and led to a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

Brandram, who worked as a senior relationship manager at HSBC Private Bank, was arrested at his £1.4 million Chiswick home and initially felt relief upon learning the charge, confident he would quickly be cleared. However, as the months passed, his optimism deteriorated, particularly following his suspension from HSBC and separation from his second wife. Colleagues and former Army comrades described a man struggling with post-traumatic stress from Afghanistan service, two failed marriages, and the psychological toll of being branded a suspect in a high-profile case. His family has insisted there was "no credible evidence" linking him to the incident and that the investigation caused immense shame, anxiety and humiliation.