Police arrest 44-year-old in Putney Pusher case

Police arrested a 44-year-old man on Monday, 15 June, on suspicion of attempted grievous bodily harm in the putney pusher investigation. The case concerns CCTV footage from Putney Bridge that showed a jogger shove a 33-year-old woman into the path of a bus nearly ten years ago.

Putney Bridge on May 5, 2017

The incident took place on May 5, 2017, at around 7.40am, when the woman was walking southwards on Putney Bridge and the jogger approached from the opposite direction. He forced her into the road directly in the path of an incoming 430 bus traveling at 12mph.

Bus driver Oliver Salbris reacted quickly and the bus missed her head by inches. The woman survived and was largely unscathed, while the jogger continued across the bridge without looking back.

Investigation closed in 2018

Detectives interviewed 50 men and arrested three suspects before the investigation was closed in 2018. No suspect was charged, and the case remained unsolved until Monday’s arrest.

One of the earlier suspects was an American investment banker who proved he was in the US at the time. The latest arrest gives investigators another live line in a case that had been shut for years after the original inquiries produced no charge.

West London arrest

The male suspect was detained at his £1.4million home in west London. He is understood to be a director at a private bank and a decorated former British Army officer who served in several major conflicts.

Posts on review sites describe him as friendly and popular with clients and colleagues. The arrest now puts the focus back on whether police can connect a named suspect to the Putney Bridge footage that has defined the putney pusher case since 2017.