The “Putney Pusher” suspect offered to pay for a private DNA test to clear his name, it has been revealed.
The sisters of Nicholas Brandram, the man arrested in connection with the 2017 Putney Bridge pushing incident, have said he volunteered to fund the test.
Mr Brandram, 44, was discovered dead at his Chiswick home on Tuesday, having been detained by officers in June over the nine-year-old case.
His siblings, Alexia Hicks and Sophie Volker, have accused the Metropolitan Police of negligence, claiming that months of intense pressure brought about by the drawn-out investigation were responsible for his death.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Ms Hicks and Ms Volker said that roughly two months ago, their brother and his solicitor proposed paying for the test privately to speed up the process.
Police rejected the offer, assuring them results would arrive within four weeks.
The sisters said: “His mental state had deteriorated so much that every day was becoming difficult.”
An officer had told Mr Brandram that DNA findings were “any day now,” they recounted, only for another to inform him just days before his death: “Actually, we can’t even give you a date any more.”
Nicholas Brandram was discovered deceased at his Chiswick property in West London on Tuesday night | PA
More than two months on, no result had materialised.
The family maintained Mr Brandram could not have been on Putney Bridge that day, as he was living in Notting Hill Gate and working on Bond Street in 2017.
They also pointed to an email they say was sent from his office at the very time the jogger was caught on camera.
Beyond the alibi, they highlighted Mr Brandram had “distinctive” blue eyes whereas the victim described her attacker as brown-eyed.
He also bore a visibly wasted calf from his Army service and a prominent forearm tattoo, neither of which appeared in the CCTV footage.
Nicholas Brandram’s family said there was no forensic evidence linking the 44-year-old banker to the 2017 incident | MET POLICE
Paying tribute to their brother, the sisters described him as “a gentleman” and “a real family man,” adding: “He was our very, very loved brother and uncle, father, son.”
Speaking on the role of the police, they said: “The Met were negligent, they were reckless and they have, you know, failed our brother.
“They failed in their duty of care to our brother, to the wider family and arguably, actually, society because the Putney Pusher is still out there.”
The family said Mr Brandram “didn’t deserve any of this happening to him.”
The Metropolitan Police has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct over how it handled the case.
A 33-year-old woman was approached by a jogger and was subsequently pushed under a double-decker | PA
A spokesman for the IOPC said: “We have received a mandatory referral from the Met Police relating to prior contact officers had with Nicholas Brandram, who was sadly found unresponsive and declared deceased on September 15. We are currently assessing the referral before deciding whether further action is required from us.”
Ch Supt Dan Knowles, in charge of policing for south-west London, said: “The investigation remains ongoing.
“Following Mr Brandram’s release under investigation, it was made clear that inquiries would continue while officers progressed outstanding lines of inquiry and forensic examinations. This remains the position, and further investigative work is ongoing.
“Investigations of this nature, particularly those involving complex evidential and forensic work, can take a number of months to complete as officers gather and assess all available evidence.”
GB News has approached the Met Police for further comment.