PUTNEY BRIDGE SUSPECT NICHOLAS BRANDRAM FOUND DEAD, INQUEST SUSPENDED

An inquest into the death of Nicholas Brandram, a suspect in the 2017 Putney Bridge pushing case, has been suspended pending a police watchdog investigation. Brandram, a former army captain reportedly working as a banker, was found dead at his home in west London on 15 September after failing to attend a family meal. The Metropolitan Police has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct over its contact with Brandram before his death. The watchdog will examine that contact as part of its inquiry.

Brandram was arrested in June over an incident on Putney Bridge on 5 May 2017, in which a jogger shoved a woman headfirst into the path of an oncoming bus. His family says they believe he took his own life because of pressure caused by the Metropolitan Police investigation and by being identified publicly online. His sisters accused the force of negligence, saying officers failed to clear his name despite his offer to pay for private DNA testing. They said the force's handling of the case contributed to the circumstances of his death.

The suspension leaves the cause of Brandram's death unresolved until the watchdog's investigation concludes, with no findings yet made public. The self-referral means the Independent Office for Police Conduct, rather than the Metropolitan Police itself, will assess whether officers acted appropriately in their contact with Brandram before he died. The 2017 Putney Bridge incident had remained without a named suspect for years before Brandram's arrest. The inquest will resume once the watchdog's investigation is complete.