A multi-millionaire banker descended from royalty has been released on bail after being arrested in the hunt for the ‘Putney Pusher’.
The suspect, 44, was detained yesterday at his £1.4million home in west London over the investigation into the jogger who shoved a pedestrian into the path of a double-decker bus nine years ago. He was later bailed.
A director at a private bank, he is a decorated former British Army officer who served in several major conflicts.
During the morning rush hour on May 5, 2017, the jogger was captured on CCTV shoving a female pedestrian into the path of a double-decker bus on Putney Bridge in south-west London.
The suspect was described as a white man in his early to mid-30s, with a stocky build and short, brown hair. He was wearing a grey T-shirt and dark blue shorts.
Detectives interviewed 50 men and arrested three suspects, including an American investment banker who, it was later proved, had been in the US at the time of the offence.
But no one was charged, and the investigation was officially closed in 2018.
Nine years ago, police released dramatic CCTV footage of the moment this jogger appeared to push a woman into the path of an oncoming bus on Putney Bridge in south-west London
The jogger approaches the pedestrian during the morning rush hour on Putney Bridge
The jogger pushes the victim into the path of the oncoming bus, before the driver swerves
The suspect has familial links to the British Royal Family, as well as other European royalty.
Since leaving the British Army, he has enjoyed a successful career in the City and advises a string of high-net-worth individuals and institutions.
Posts on review sites describe him as friendly and popular with clients and colleagues.
The woman, who has never been publicly identified, was walking southwards on Putney Bridge at around 7.40am when the jogger approached her from the opposite direction.
There was plenty of room on the footpath for him to skirt around her safely, but instead the man forcefully shoved her on to the road – directly into the path of a double-decker 430 bus going at 12mph.
Thanks to the quick reactions of the driver, Oliver Salbris, the bus missed the 33-year-old victim’s head by inches, and she survived – largely physically unscathed.
Mr Salbris immediately brought the bus to a halt, blocking the bus lane on the busy commuter route for six or seven minutes.
But the jogger continued his run across Putney Bridge without so much as a backward glance, as passers-by rushed to help the shaken woman.
Another CCTV still of the ‘Putney Pusher’ on the day of the incident on May 5
The bus driver that day was Oliver Salbris, who was hailed a hero for his quick reactions
Incredibly, he returned in the opposite direction about 15 minutes later, once again passing the victim while she was still being assisted on the bridge.
He ignored her calls to stop. Footage of the horrifying incident went viral, even inspiring a play told from the perspective of the jogger, victim and Mr Salbris.
And in April, Mr Salbris told the Daily Mail that he would never forget it, adding: ‘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.’
‘After the bus stopped, I got out and spoke to her and gave her all my details in case she needed me as a witness with the police. A female passenger also got off and helped her, then I believe walked with her to contact the police.’
Mr Salbris added: ‘I remember the victim asking me, ‘What happened?’… ‘Why me?’
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