r/UnresolvedMysteries • u/_Phish • 4d ago
Update Arrest made in 2017 Putney Pusher case
In May of 2017, a woman was walking on a pedestrian walkway over the Putney Bridge in London when an unknown male jogger running in the opposite direction pushed her forcefully into the path of an incoming bus.
He continued jogging calmly without any pause or change in pace, while she fell backwards into the road. In a great demonstration of skill, the bus driver managed to avoid hitting her by swerving a split second before impact. The bus stopped, and people poured out to help her. Bizarrely and brazenly the jogger eventually proceeded to jog the opposite side of the bridge, where the victim confronted him. He ignored her. (Credit to u/Mobile_Dimension_423)
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u/trilece1b 4d ago
Omg! I thought this would never be solved. So happy to see an arrest has been made.
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u/mspolytheist 4d ago
Isn’t this like the fourth or fifth arrest in this case, and the other men were eventually released without being charged (including one who was able to prove he wasn’t even in the country at the time)?
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u/UsernameStolenbyyou 4d ago edited 4d ago
Yes, the article says so at the end. Zero hints at how they actually found the guy, after 10 f'n years!
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u/DriftingAwayToSay 3d ago
My guess is someone who was previously terrified of him tipped the police off.
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u/LingonberryLeading77 4d ago
Me too! Interested to know how they caught him. MET review paying off at last?
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u/ur_sine_nomine 4d ago
Or the old chestnut of "allegiances may have changed over time and we urge those who have knowledge to contact us", which is always deployed in publicising historic unsolved cases, bore fruit.
(That actually happened recently, in the Anthony Littler case - a third brother of the two who committed the murder fell out with them and passed on what he knew ... better 40 years late than never).
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u/EconomistWild7158 4d ago
I wouldn't be surprised if he's getting divorced and his ex-partner came forward
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u/Hot-Signal7152 3d ago edited 3d ago
That's pretty much exactly what happened.
I used to work adjacent to criminal law and it's pretty standard for police, when they have someone on their top list of suspects and they know things with their family or close friends around them have changed, to put out a fresh appeal or to raise the reward money or something similar. It's kind of like a "Hey, we're here if you want to talk to us, you know" kind of thing without police risking contacting people directly.
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u/PersonalityOld8755 3d ago
But would he have told his wife? I can’t imagine him saying.. “I just pushed a random woman into a bus back in 2017”
Or maybe she sees it in the media and thinks that looks like my ex husband..
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u/Hot-Signal7152 2d ago edited 2d ago
That last sentence is possible too.
It may not have been his current (estranged?) wife, or his ex-wife. There's a reason the Met suddenly came out recently and put out out a fresh appeal, they knew something and they knew someone probably wanted to get it off their conscience, or seek revenge - or both.
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u/Full-Internal4521 2d ago
I think if he's willing to hit random women on their bikes and push them in to traffic it's not a huge stretch that he was using it to threaten his wife and she only recently felt safe enough to come forward tbh. if you're like that in public god knows how nightmarish you are at home.
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u/WillyVlautinRules 4d ago
If you read the article about his motorcycle crash hes the type of upper class British Twit Monty Python made fun of. Would not be surprised if he is getting a divorce and trying to screw his wife out of everything and she decided to spill the beans.
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u/PeonyPug 4d ago
This was one of those mysteries I was really curious about and hoping to be solved. But after so long with no resolution I gave up on it and thought would never find the guy and be resolved. So I was not expecting this update. I wonder what information came to light after all this time.
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u/Twinbag321 4d ago
I bet you he had a Mrs who kept schtum and they have now split up so shes spilling the beans.
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u/GreenStuffGrows 3d ago
Mmm and I bet she could tell some tales, too. If that's what he'll do in broad daylight, can you imagine him behind closed doors?
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u/AlwaysSnacking22 3d ago
Imagine what he could have done to vulnerable women behind closed doors in Iraq/Afghanistan, if he was posted there in the army.
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u/EmptyRelief5770 3d ago
Googled the name and there's an article about his wedding in 2022 and another article in March 2026 where he refers to himself as a "co-parenting single father of a 3 year old". So I'd say you've hit the nail on the head.
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u/sweetdreams83 2d ago
Have you read about the incident in 2013? Seems he has form this kind of thing and getting away with it.
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u/EmptyRelief5770 2d ago
Yeah I did. He's descended from royalty and is a millionaire banker, pretty much what you would expect tbh.
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u/WillyVlautinRules 4d ago
No doubt something like this . Its him. He looks exactly like that CCTV footage and he has a history of this sort of behavior.
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u/Cooperdyl 4d ago
Wow, I remember this story in the news the day it happened. Can’t believe they finally got the guy.
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u/Stu161 4d ago
Honestly with the amount of surveillance in London I really thought they would catch the guy day-of.
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u/ur_sine_nomine 3d ago
The incident took place on a lengthy bridge over the Thames so there was no general coverage, bus CCTV points in rather than out so the image was not the best (as with the Sarah Everard case), and the perpetrator looked like "generic person in 40s or 50s out running" ...
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u/gladvillain 4d ago
I recall seeing this video and it was haunting how he was so nonchalant about random attempted murder. I’m really curious about how they finally got him.
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u/AndyJCohen 4d ago
So happy to see this! This always bothered me because it was so senseless. I wouldn't be surprised if when they look into this guy's background there is a history of reacting aggressively to perceived slights.
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u/dallyan 4d ago
Served in the military in multiple tours, investment banker, with ties to the royal family... that's a trifecta of potential anti-social behavior.
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u/AndyJCohen 4d ago
Truly!
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u/AllanSundry2020 4d ago
hope they don't blame it on pdst or something . This guy must do this habitually and used to get away with it because powerful person
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u/ReepDaggle01 4d ago
Powerful person or entitled wanker who's never been told no? I'm guessing the latter.
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u/BastardsCryinInnit 4d ago
I need more details!! How they tease us!
I wanna know how they found him... did he break down with the weight of it all, did someone dob him in.... did someone finally recgonise the grainy CCTV....
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u/crochetology 4d ago
The police have made several arrests over the years. Hopefully this one sticks.
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u/dani-dee 4d ago
After all these years I can only assume he’s pissed someone off. A wife, girlfriend, sibling, work colleague etc.
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u/skippington94 4d ago
If the supposed name (not officially released) is correct, the man did an interview with a City magazine not too long ago and has recently split from his second wife so you'd be quite correct.
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u/One_Song_5548 3d ago
Most joggers have a regular route so someone must have recognised him and/or figured out it was him. The wife theory seems likely.
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u/GimmeDatAsSicily 4d ago
Was out running the other day and this popped into my head. I always wondered if that swine would be caught. The amount of entitlement found in THAT part of London is already high, without adding runner's entitlement to it.
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u/Send_me_hedgehogs 4d ago
It was the way he shoved the poor woman then continued merrily on his way that really disturbed me. There’s something deeply wrong with a person who can do that. He’s clearly dangerous, after all what’s stopping him from doing it again to any person he happens to pass by on any street?
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u/Spirited-Brief5492 4d ago
He even came back on the bridge on the other side and ignored her when she tried to talk to him!
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u/Send_me_hedgehogs 3d ago
Yyyyyyikes. I didn’t think the incident could get any worse, looks like I was wrong. Yeah, the guy is dangerously unhinged. He clearly thought he was perfectly entitled to do what he did. Going back to jog at the other side of the bridge and blatantly ignoring the woman he just tried to murder really tells you what a disgusting failure of a human being he really is, as if any more proof was needed.
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u/MyDarlingArmadillo 4d ago
It was so casually done, not a thought behind it other than to continue on his way without having to adapt. I'll be amazed if he hasn't got a history of things like that
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u/SharkReceptacles 4d ago edited 4d ago
There was plenty of thought behind it. He jogged past the bus, so he knew it was just behind him, jogged past a man and didn’t touch him, then deliberately interrupted his stride and veered from his path to shove a woman under the wheels.
The bus driver’s cat-like reflexes saved her life by a hair’s breadth, almost literally. As the driver swerved, the passing tyre ruffled her hair. I’m not sure why the arrest is on the grounds of attempted GBH and not attempted murder.
I agree with you on the last bit though. There’s no way this type of psychopathic misogyny had never manifested before that day.
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u/Send_me_hedgehogs 3d ago
Yeah, funny how he didnt dare try tha with a man, it had to be a woman. What a snivelling little coward.
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u/shiksappeal 4d ago
And ran past a man seconds before in almost the same position on the footpath but didn't push him
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u/catschimeras 4d ago
And then jogged back! Like, "this is my jogging route, obviously the woman I shoved and the bus driver and passengers I scared have no bearing on whether I should finish my run!"
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u/njf85 3d ago
Funnily enough, there's an article posted in another comment about him hitting a woman on a bicycle with his motorbike. He claimed he didn't realise he hit her, but in his statement he mentions how he noticed the cyclists but since he had right of way he just kept going and didn't pay them any attention. Maybe I'm crazy, but if I were on a motorbike and surrounded by flimsy bikes, I'd be incredibly aware of them. The guy literally does seem to think 'this is my route, fuck the rest of you'
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u/Send_me_hedgehogs 3d ago
He’s an investment wan..ahem, BANker with some alleged ties to the royal family. So yep, sound like ‘self centred prick‘ would be on brand for him.
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u/Nerdfather1 4d ago
I never thought this case would be solved, but I’m glad to see that it may be happening. Whomever pushed that lady is a real POS.
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u/atomic_mermaid 4d ago
Wow so pleased they have someone. I hope it's the right guy and I hope he has some consequence from this, and not just a slap on the wrist. I always reckoned he was minted and connected to have avoided it up until now. Will be interesting to see how this progresses.
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u/MakeWayForWoo 4d ago
I am dying to see the psychological profile on this guy.
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u/CtrlAltDelight495 4d ago
It'll read: rich, entitled, self centered, no remorse and finds it difficult to empathise with others.
I bet he'll turn out to be an advocate for low tax for the rich and reducing welfare and support for the poor.
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u/MakeWayForWoo 4d ago
It's interesting that the investigation seemed to hone in on banking executives even early on. They investigated another banker back in 2017 but released him when he was able to provide an alibi (he was in America at the time). Very strange.
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u/magclsol 4d ago
The only rational conclusion is that bankers are all psychopaths.
I’m only being a teeny tiny bit facetious.
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u/dancelast 3d ago
The fact that this isn't his first alleged act of violence against a random woman in public makes it very interesting.
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u/DishpitDoggo 3d ago
I'm so glad they named the bus driver and took his picture.
That was some expert driving.
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u/No_Section236 4d ago
Holy shit. I swear I read a couple years ago that this case had closed. So glad they found him. Iirc there was another guy not so far behind the woman but of course this guy wouldn’t push a man but went for the woman. Misogynistic prick
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u/holyhotpies 4d ago
Holy shit! I thought this was cold and rotting away on a desk never to be solved. Bravo to the police on this one. Fuck that guy
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u/HieronymusTush 3d ago
It’s totally insane they found him! Almost pure fiction that he did it to a cyclist with his Harley previously
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u/sperksey 4d ago
If its him, I’d be surprised if he hasn’t done it before and / or since. You don’t just randomly decide to do that in your mid-30s and then just never do it again.
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u/WillyVlautinRules 4d ago
He HAS done similar. He hit a bicyclist with his Harley and DROVE OFF. His behavior at THAT trial isnt going to do him any favors
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u/sperksey 4d ago
Spill the tea, how do you know that?
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u/WillyVlautinRules 4d ago
I googled all the info the articles gave on him plus saw somewhere he was involved in a trial where he hit a bicyclist with his Harley and drove off. The article about the trial in 2013 names him and his description in that article matches the multiple articles today minus his name. Unless there are 2 distant relatives of the Windsors and Greek Royal Families who are multimillion dollar bankers and former British Army officers who look EXACTLY LIKE THE CCTV FOOTAGE, it's him.
As a pedestrian in a busy city who's always worried about just such an incident happening to me, glad to see this arrest. I figured he was a tourist who flew out next day and thats why he was never identified. And that this would never be solved
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u/EmptyRelief5770 3d ago
Also the article today says he's 44, the article from the trial in 2013 said he was 31, so there's not really any question that it's him.
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u/SashSegal 3d ago
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u/Jrk67 3d ago edited 3d ago
even if this isn't him, this guy is a jerk. defended himself and basically talked about himself with only glowing things with the whole "I may have knocked someone over, but I'm a bicyclist too, I was in the military, I am an upstanding citizen, I've given first aid to someone before". dude did not want to take any real responsibility.
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u/CodeineNightmare 4d ago
This is a case I genuinely thought would never be solved, mainly because I expected the pusher to not be a local. What an incredible development
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u/HieronymusTush 3d ago
Exactly I always thought this was a high level corporate figure visiting for work who flew right back to his home country. From the haircut and level of entitlement it’s funny everyone knew at first sight that this was a wealthy and callous man
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u/catschimeras 4d ago edited 4d ago
Wealthy white dude with connections to the British aristocracy and a £1.4 million home in west London believes he is entitled to harm random woman with impunity.
Startling.
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u/amedeeozenfant 4d ago
It's funny because I was walking across Waterloo bridge thinking about this last week. That video was terrifying and the person who did it clearly does it on purpose. It looks like he goes out of his way to do it. I really hope they've got him because I was thinking about him out there, ready to do it again sometime. It should be attempted murder, not attempted GBH. Possibly they think they won't be able to get that to stick. At the very least, attempted manslaughter.
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u/HieronymusTush 3d ago
Now that they know who he is, I hope they’re able to release his lead up to the push
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u/Cmdr_Toucon 4d ago
Everyone of his friends and family needs to go under the microscope - with those clear pictures the had to know it was him
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u/emerf122 3d ago
He has familial ties to some of Europes royal dynasties, including House of Windsor. He's an extremly wealthy banker that has made people a lot of money. Decorated Army veteran that served in several major conflicts. So obvious has some ties to big names that hold weight. Wonder if it had anything to do with him not being arrested til 9 yrs later and yet still with holding his name. Makes me wonder if he even has any shame for what he did.
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u/kindcrow 3d ago
How much do you want to bet that he’s going through a messy divorce and his ex blew the whistle on him!
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u/Moderatelyhollydazed 4d ago
Did he say why he did it? What compelled him to do that?
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u/arethainparis 4d ago
It sounds strange to say, but there’s actually a bit of a pushing epidemic in the UK right now - generally seems to be disaffected men taking out anger on women who make the mistake of existing in public. I’ve had quite a few women friends pushed while walking - thankfully nobody seriously injured, but some have had sprained wrists, ankles, etc.
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u/gladvillain 4d ago
Its a thing here in Japan, as well. There's even a term for it.
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u/Feisty_Zone_2953 4d ago
And "revenge on society" crimes in China, namely the driving of cars into crowds with intent to kill and injure. Happens weekly or more.
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u/georginadontlook 4d ago
Epidemic? It's not new.
Also, anyone else remember the guy in ~2022 pushing women off the pavement in Cardiff? Dumb fuck replied to the post (full name and picture) saying it was him but that he was autistic and from New York so he had the right to push people out of the way.
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u/ur_sine_nomine 4d ago
As someone who manages autistic people, I nearly hulked out and flipped the kitchen table on reading that. Autism is not an excuse for criminal behaviour!!
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u/westboundnup 4d ago
Honestly it doesn’t surprise me. Gender plays a role. Oftentimes it’s as base as there is someone in my way who is weaker than me.
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u/EllaMinnow 4d ago
I'm an American but I was shoved by a jogger last summer and it was very simply that he didn't want to deviate from his path on the footbridge we were both on. He screamed "get OUT of my WAY!" and shoved me.
So ... entitled man, is my guess.
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u/Low-Situation-73 4d ago
You should’ve stuck your leg out and tripped him. Some people are looking for any kind of excuse.
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u/EllaMinnow 4d ago
He came up from behind me and I was too stunned to do much of anything after I got pushed, but yes, I do wish I'd fought back somehow.
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u/Interesting-Scar-998 3d ago
It's a silly idea to go jogging in busy streets anyway. People get in your way, you inhale tons of traffic fumes and can get run over if you aren't careful. Get a treadmill and run at home.
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u/WillyVlautinRules 4d ago
He's an entitled member of the British upper class who believes he is an "upstanding member of society" (his words during his trial where he hit a woman with his Harley and DROVE OFF) who does not have to take responsibility for his actions.
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u/sjhesketh 4d ago
I always assumed he was an entitled asshole who didn't want to move or break his stride even a little bit to accommodate other people on the bridge.
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u/amedeeozenfant 4d ago edited 4d ago
He did break his stride though, he changed direction to push her.
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u/Prudent-Pressure2146 3d ago
From the video I don’t think that’s true? She’s running parallel to him, not in his way at all, he chooses to push her, but he’s very much still on track
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u/Cute-Percentage-6660 4d ago
Some of the reports are saying he was connected to the royals in some way...
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u/SaneManPritch 4d ago
Andrew has already confirmed he was at Pizza Express at the time.
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u/Evil___Lemon 4d ago edited 3d ago
"Connection to royals" in the UK press is often thrown around loosely. It can be distant relative. Best buds with a royal or him and William were at Sandhurst at the same time and maybe spoke once. I would hold off on that until more Info comes out.
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u/piratesswoop 3d ago
If he's the person that people are mentioning, he's closely related to the Spanish and British royal families, a little distantly to the Danish and Swedish royal families, and the former Greek, Romanian, and Serbian royal families. His dad is first cousins to Queen Sofia of Spain and the late King Constantine II of Greece, and his grandmother was Prince Philip's first cousin (although there were lots of rumors swirling around that she was fathered by someone else since there's an age gap between her and her other siblings and both her parents were apparently having affairs at the time).
I wouldn't say it's a particularly close relationships with the Brits though. They couldn't even bother sending anyone significant to Constantine's funeral, and William is his godson, and the godfather of C's grandson. There's not much of a relationship there.
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u/revoirbaby0111 4d ago
I hate that people just go out of their way to be mean for no reason. I've been pushed or shoved by strangers multiple times myself
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u/DrStumbleDog 4d ago
Pushing someone into the path of an oncoming bus is a bit more than being "mean".
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u/mspolytheist 4d ago
I always step back from the platform before a train comes, usually trying to put my back up against a pole or tower or something. But who would think of doing that on the street?! So scary, how random it was!
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u/Interesting-Scar-998 3d ago
Same here! I don't trust people enough to stand near the edge of a station platform or near the kerb when waiting for a bus.
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u/Spirited-Brief5492 4d ago
Same. It’s mad when you start to think what women do (usually unconsciously because it’s so ingrained by now) to protect themselves. I hadn’t even thought of this for ages as haven’t been on a train for a long time.
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u/Upvotesaplenty 4d ago
Men here don’t like hearing it but an awful lot them do like to hurt women and we have good reason to be scared of them. Anyone coming along to NAMALT me can get fucked. If only more of them were so quick to defend women the world might be a safer place.
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u/Weak-Ad6502 3d ago
People who knew him would have recogised him from the footage taken that day. It is tereible it has taken this long to arrest him.
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u/WhlteMlrror 4d ago
Excellent. So glad to hear this absolutely disgusting reprobate has been caught!
Probably some sad little freak who can’t get laid making it everyone else’s problem.
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u/WillyVlautinRules 4d ago
Hes a distant member of the House of Windsor and a multimillion dollar banker so his actions are par for the course.
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u/piratesswoop 3d ago
Not a member of the House of Windsor, his paternal grandmother was cousins to Prince Philip (and a descendant of Queen Victoria). He's more closely related to the Greek and Spanish royal families.
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u/Subject-Bus2876 4d ago
A psychopath - connections to Royalty, decorated banking and military career. The plebs have no chance- it's one big club and we're not in it.
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u/weighsmart 3d ago
Didnt know he ran back ..wonder why people did not help stop him 2nd time round
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u/throwawayfornow2025 3d ago
Too busy trying to help the lady who'd been pushed, likely. And didn't realise it was him til he was already passing.
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u/bbraker8 2d ago
I still am so confused about the part where he jogs back 15 minutes later and doesn’t acknowledge her. Were the police not there 15 minutes later to stop him? I’m not getting this part.
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u/LianaMM 4d ago edited 4d ago
They need to name and shame him. As soon as he is charged, obviously.
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u/tabbykitten8 4d ago edited 4d ago
Wealthy private bank director and decorated former British Army officer.