A royal descendant who amassed a multi-million pound fortune as a city trader has been arrested in connection with a nine-year police hunt for a jogger who allegedly shoved a female pedestrian into the path of a London double-decker bus. The suspect in the so-called 'Putney Pusher' case was taken into custody at his £1.4 million west London home at dawn on Monday.
Arrest After Nine-Year Investigation
The arrest of the decorated former British Army officer, who served in several major conflicts before becoming a banker, comes almost a decade after a jogger purportedly pushed a woman into the path of a bus on Putney Bridge. The incident on May 5, 2017, was captured on CCTV, and police appeals garnered millions of views worldwide. Detectives interviewed 50 men and arrested three suspects, including an American investment banker who proved he was in the US at the time. However, no one has been charged, leaving the case as one of Britain's most compelling unsolved mysteries.
Case Reopened After New Information
The investigation was closed in 2018 before new information led to the arrest. A Metropolitan Police spokesman 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. Inquiries continue.' According to reports, the suspect has familial links to some of Europe's leading royal dynasties, including the House of Windsor. Since leaving the British Army, he has enjoyed a successful career in the City, advising high-net-worth individuals and institutions. Posts on review sites describe him as friendly and popular with clients and colleagues.
The 'Putney Pusher' Incident
The incident took place on Putney Bridge during rush hour at around 7:40 am. An unsuspecting woman was walking southwards when the jogger approached from the opposite direction. The man seemingly forcefully shoved her onto the road, directly into the path of an incoming 430 bus traveling at 12 mph. Miraculously, bus driver Oliver Salbris swerved and missed the 33-year-old victim's head by inches, and she survived largely physically unscathed. The jogger continued his run across the bridge. After the vehicle stopped, passers-by rushed to help the woman, who has never been publicly identified. The jogger returned about 15 minutes later, running past the still stricken victim while she was being assisted on the bridge.
Suspect Description and Public Fascination
The suspect was described as a white man in his early to mid-30s, with a stocky build and short brown hair, wearing a grey T-shirt and dark blue shorts. Despite the lack of progress in the police investigation, public fascination endured. In 2024, the case inspired a play called Once Upon a Bridge, written by Irish playwright Sonya Kelly and performed at the OSO Arts Centre in Barnes. The drama reimagined the incident from the perspectives of the three central figures: the jogger, the victim, and the bus driver. Earlier this year, Mr. Salbris revealed how the case still affects him as he regularly drives over Putney Bridge. He said: '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.'
