Samuel Montgomery
London: A man has been arrested in the UK by police investigating one of Britain’s most famous unsolved cases, that of the so-called Putney Pusher.
The 44-year-old was detained nine years after a jogger allegedly shoved a woman into the path of an oncoming bus on Putney Bridge in west London on May 4, 2017.
CCTV footage appeared to show the runner, described as a white man in his 30s with brown eyes and short brown hair, pushing the 33-year-old into the path of a bus.
Oliver Salbris, the bus driver, managed to swerve and miss the woman’s head by centimetres, while the jogger ran on.
The London Telegraph understands that the suspect is a decorated British Army captain who works as a director at a bank.
He is understood to have familial links to some of Europe’s leading royal dynasties, including the British monarchy.
During the incident in 2017, a woman was walking south when a jogger running in the opposite direction appeared to push her into the road about 7.40am.
About 15 minutes later, the jogger came back across the bridge and was confronted by the victim, but he ignored her and carried on running.
Images released by the police of a runner wearing a grey T-shirt, dark blue shorts, and grey trainers prompted a widespread manhunt.
Detectives interviewed 50 men and arrested three suspects at the time, but no one was ever charged.
The investigation was closed in 2018, but the arrest was made on Monday (UK time) after new information reportedly came to light.
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said a 44-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of attempted grievous bodily harm.
“He was taken to police custody, where he remains,” the spokesman said. “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.”
The incident became one of Britain’s most famous unsolved cases after the CCTV footage went viral.
The suspect was identified by police at the time as a white man in his early to mid-30s.
‘I always think about the case’
The police launched an appeal and searched hundreds of hours of CCTV footage after the attack, but found no trace of the man in the years following the incident.
Bus driver Oliver Salbris previously told the Daily Mail: “I always think about the case and I still drive over Putney Bridge several times a day.
“Whenever I’m on the bridge, I look very carefully at the pedestrians on the pavement. I just can’t help it. I wouldn’t say it haunts me, but it’s not something I can easily forget.
“I’m glad my reactions were quick on that day, or it would have ended very differently, both for me and the woman who was pushed. Her head was only a few centimetres from the bus and the wheel, even after I swerved to avoid her.”
Putney MP Fleur Anderson said: “This is a significant step forward and one that many people in Putney will welcome after such a long time. My thoughts are with the woman involved – I hope this brings her some reassurance.
“I’d like to thank the police for sticking with this case over the years. It’s important now that the investigation is able to proceed properly.”
The Telegraph, London
Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter.
