Byron board member eliminated as a suspect in Putney Bridge incident

By Stefan Chomka

- Last updated on GMT

Byron board member eliminated as suspect in Putney Bridge incident

Related tags English-language films

The restaurant financier that was implicated in the Putney Bridge attack in May has been eliminated as a suspect in the incident.

Eric Bellquist, a partner at private equity firm Hutton Collins and who represents the business on the boards of Byron Hamburgers and Wagamama, was arrested on 10 August in the hunt for a jogger who appeared to push a woman in front of a bus on Putney Bridge.

The 41 year-old, who was also responsible for the company’s investment in Caffè Nero, has now been eliminated from the investigation, according to the Metropolitan Police. He has always “categorically denied” being involved in the incident.

His solicitors Duncan Lewis had previously stated that the financier had been “wrongly implicated”. “He categorically denies being the individual concerned & has irrefutable proof that he was in the US at the time of the incident. Consequently, we expect a swift resolution to this wholly untrue allegation,” it wrote on Twitter.

A statement from the Metropolitan Police said: “The 41-year-old man was arrested on Thursday, 10 August before being released under investigation. Following enquiries, he has now been eliminated from the investigation.

"Enquiries continue to identity the jogger who pushed the female pedestrian into the road.”

The jogger is described as a white man, aged early to mid 30s, with brown eyes and short brown hair. Officers are appealing for any witnesses to the incident or anyone who recognises the jogger in the CCTV to get in touch.

Information can also be reported anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.

Related topics Casual Dining

Follow us

Hospitality Guides

View more

Generation Next