‘Banker’ arrested in connection with ‘Putney pusher’ attack
Police looking for the so-called Putney pusher have arrested a man in connection with the case, nine years after CCTV footage appearing to show a woman being pushed into an oncoming bus triggered a high-profile manhunt.
The 44-year-old male was detained by the Metropolitan Police on Monday despite detectives closing their investigation into the incident in 2018 after new information reportedly came to light.
The suspect is reported to be a multi-millionaire banker with connections to the royal family. He is also a decorated former British Army officer who served in several conflicts around the world. The arrest is believed to have taken place at the alleged runner’s £1.4m home in west London.
Officers interviewed more than 50 men and arrested three suspects during the initial hunt in 2017, including an American investment banker who was found to have been in the US when the incident occured. Police did not charge anyone with the incident during their initial investigation.
CCTV footage from the time showed a runner in a grey t-shirt and black shorts jogging over Putney Bridge in west London. He was described by the Met as a white man in his 30s with brown eyes and short, brown hair.
He then appears to push a woman into the path of a double-decker bus, before the driver swerved, narrowly missing the woman’s head.
Police have now arrested the 44-year-old on suspicion of attempted grevious bodily harm.
A spokesman for the police force said: “On Monday, 15 June, a 44-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted grievous bodily harm.
“He was taken to police custody, where he remains. The arrest relates to an incident on 5 May 2017, where a woman was pushed into the path of a bus on Putney Bridge in Putney. Inquiries continue.”