The sisters of a royals-linked millionaire banker accused of being the “Putney Pusher” – a notorious jogger filmed pushing a woman in front of a moving bus – blamed police for his death this week, insisting Friday that he was trying to pay for faster DNA tests to prove his innocence.
asserted
he → link → innocence
Nicholas Brandram, a descendant of Queen Victoria who was arrested and charged in June, was “slowly being murdered” by the allegations that he was the notorious cruel 2017 jogger, his sister Alexia Hicks told the Guardian through tears
The former British Army captain was so determined to prove his innocence before his death Tuesday that he had offered to “pay to have [a DNA test] done privately” to get the results quicker, Hicks and her sibling, Sophie Voelcker, told BBC’s “Today” show Friday.
asserted
Hicks → arrest → show
Brandram, 44, had already provided a DNA sample to London’s Met Police and officers told him not to get a private test because they would have the results “within four weeks,” before backtracking just before the banker was found dead at home, according to the sisters.
uncertain
banker → provide → sisters
“The problem is, one of the officers said that DNA test results are ‘any day now’ – and then only a couple of days, I believe, before his death, he said, ‘Actually we can’t even give you a date any more,’” Hicks, 40, said.
asserted
Hicks → say → date
Brandram’s family were so convinced that the police investigation would see the banker’s name cleared they wouldn’t have to seek private DNA tests.
asserted
they → see → tests
“We put faith into the system, the justice system,” they said.
asserted
they → put → system
“We put faith into the Metropolitan Police.
asserted
We → put → Police
We wanted them to carry out their investigation because we’re so sure that Nick is innocent.
asserted
Nick → want → investigation
The police know he’s innocent.
asserted
he → know → ?
“Therefore, we thought, we don’t need to pay for a DNA test – surely the police will just conduct their own test, they’ll release the [no further action] letter, as they kept assuring my brother.”
asserted
they → think → brother
They remain at a loss as to why cops wouldn’t clear him with the same “urgency” as they did when they arrested him at his West London home with “a large handful of police officers wearing armed vests.”
asserted
they → remain → vests
The sisters highlighted five factors which they said would’ve proved his innocence.
asserted
they → highlight → innocence
They claim that Brandram sent an email from his Bond Street office some four miles away from where the jogger was seen shoving a woman into the path of a double-decker bus on London’s Putney Bridge, proving he couldn’t be at the scene.
uncertain
he → claim → scene
The sisters also emphasized that Brandram had no connection to the Putney area.
asserted
Brandram → emphasize → area
Brandram had blue eyes, his sisters said, alluding to comments made by the woman who claimed the attacker had brown eyes.
asserted
attacker → have → eyes
Brandram’s family said he had a “visibly wasted and disfigured calf” the banker had, while the man in the video didn’t show such signs.
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man → say → signs
The banker also had a “prominent forearm tattoo,” something which his family says wasn’t on show in the video.
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family → have → video
Brandram also offered to take part in an identification parade but the Met never organized one, his sisters said.
asserted
sisters → offer → one
“We provided evidence very quickly to show that this did not look like our brother,” they said.
“Nine and a half years ago when the incident occurred, there’d been absolutely nothing connecting our brother to the attack.”
Brandram was found dead in his Chiswick home Tuesday – and the Metropolitan Police has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct watchdog.
Scotland Yard has called the death “unexpected” but not suspicious.
asserted
Yard → provide → death
We recognise the significant impact his death will have on those who knew and loved him,” Chief Superintendent Dan Knowles told London’s Evening Standard.
asserted
Knowles → recognise → Standard
“We also understand the strain that being subject to a police investigation can place on individuals and their families.
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being → understand → individuals
“The investigation remains ongoing,” he said.
asserted
he → remain → ?
“Investigations of this nature, particularly those involving complex evidential and forensic work, can take a number of months to complete as officers gather and assess all available evidence.”
asserted
officers → involve → evidence
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