Man, 50, held over woman shoved in front of bus by jogger
A MAN aged 50 was arrested yesterday after a tip- off that he was the jogger suspected of shoving a woman into the path of a double-decker bus.
The man was held on suspicion of grievous bodily harm at an address in Chelsea yesterday, just a few miles from the scene of the attack.
The 33-year-old victim was on her way to work when the man barged into her on Putney Bridge, south-west London. The driver, travelling at 12mph, managed to swerve at the last second, narrowly missing the woman’s head.
Following an appeal to trace the runner and the release of CCTV images on the bridge, Scotland Yard was flooded with calls.
The suspect was quizzed for several hours before being released. He remains under investigation as officers continue to make inquiries about the attack at 7.40am on May 5.
Meanwhile, the bus driver who saved the woman’s life yesterday said he was ‘just doing his job’.
A spokesman from employers Go Ahead London told 5 News: ‘The driver commented that he is pleased to have been a hero, he was just doing his job.
‘He is pleased to have been able to react the way he did and that there was no serious injury to the lady.’
The woman, who does not want to be named, escaped without serious injury. Her attacker ran past her on the same bridge 15 minutes after the incident. She called out and tried to
‘It has had a real impact on her life’
stop him but the runner ignored her.
Sergeant Mat Knowles, who is investigating the case, said: ‘At this point she is the only person on the pavement.
‘The footpath is eight to ten feet wide, there is plenty of room. This is a deliberate act. His hands come across and push her.
‘She does not know this man. She walks this way to the Tube to work every day and has never seen him. If it wasn’t for the quick reactions of the bus driver it could have been a very different situation. It was a very near miss.
‘When you look at how close it was, this footage is quite harrowing. She obviously doesn’t know what the motivation was. It has had a real impact on her life.
‘She suffered from some back pain, but psychologically it will have a longer lasting impact.’
Moments before the attack, the culprit ran through a crowded bus stop on the Fulham side of the bridge. Police believe he headed down Putney High Street after crossing the bridge, before looping back 15 minutes later to cross the river again.
He was last seen sprinting towards Fulham which is just a few miles from the address in Chelsea where the man was held.
Yesterday locals described the assault as ‘despicable’. One, a man in his late 20s, said: ‘Some of the joggers around here can be really rude, but you would never expect that.’
Jan Moir – Pages 30 and 31