Maps show millionaire wrongfully arrested over jogger attack runs nowhere near the scene

By Paddy Dinham

Police hunting a jogger who pushed a woman in front of a bus could have avoided embarrassingly arresting the wrong man by simply Googling his name.

Millionaire banker Eric Bellquist has received death threats and been forced to hire a bodyguard after he was wrongfully detained in connection with the shocking attack by the runner on Putney Bridge last week.

However, records from the Mapmyrun app, which come up by running Bellquist's name through the search engine show that - although he has not recorded any exercise since 2013 - he has one preferred route he always takes from Sloane Square to Battersea Park, some three-and-a-half miles from Putney.

It is one of several pieces of evidence to distance Bellquist, 41, from the crime and raises further questions as to how he was ever arrested, the Daily Mail reports.

His lawyers managed to produce irrefutable proof that he was in the United States at the time of the incident.

Footage of the incident, showing a man apparently knocking a woman into the path of an oncoming double-decker, sparked outrage when it was released by Scotland Yard.

The Metropolitan Police has since confirmed officers did not check whether or not Bellquist was in the country at the time of the incident before his arrest, nor that they checked his running routes.

Bellquist, who did not appear to be at home today, was dramatically hauled away in handcuffs from his home in west London last week after police released CCTV footage of the incident and appealed for members of the public to identify the jogger.

A jogger was running across Putney Bridge in west London when he barged into the woman. Photo / Met Police

Asked whether the force would be issuing an apology to Bellquist, a spokesman said last night: "There were reasonable grounds to arrest the man in connection with this offence.

"He was subsequently released with no further action to be taken."

Police have renewed their appeals for people who might recognise the attacker from CCTV footage to come forward.

The video clip has provoked widespread outrage and shows the woman walking across the bridge to work when she is pushed into the road by a male jogger wearing a grey T-shirt and dark shorts.

She narrowly avoided serious injury after an approaching double-decker bus swerved to avoid her head as she lay inches from its wheels.

Meanwhile, the driver of the London bus who swerved to avoid the woman who was pushed over has insisted he was "just doing his job".

Bus operators 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 bus stopped after the fall and passengers tended to the woman - who received minor injuries - following the incident during rush hour, at around 7.40am on May 5.

The 33-year-old woman was lucky to escape serious injury after a bus driver swerved to avoid her on the bridge in south west London. Photo / Met Police

Officers claimed the jogger ran the other way across the bridge around 15 minutes later and the victim attempted to speak to him, but "he did not acknowledge her".

Speaking earlier this week, sergeant Mat Knowles said: "After he pushed her he ran across the bridge and 15 minutes later came back.

"By this time the members of the public who had helped the woman were gone and she tried to talk to him as he ran past her but he just ignored her."

Eric Bellquist has one preferred route he always takes from Sloane Square to Battersea Park.

A senior source from the bus company Go Ahead London said it was only down to the slow speed of the vehicle that the accident did not result in serious injury.

Bellquist has worked for investment firm Hutton Collins since 2002.

Over the course of various transactions he has represented Hutton Collins in the leisure, media/telecom and manufacturing sectors.

He currently represents Hutton Collins on the boards of Byron Hamburgers and was responsible for the firm's investment in Caffè Nero.