A man who repeatedly raped a vulnerable NHS worker until she died has been jailed for life.
Mohamed Iidow attacked 37-year-old Natalie Shotter “again and again” while she was passed out on a bench in Southall Park, west London, after a night out. The victim died of a heart attack caused by Iidow raping her.
Today he was jailed for life for rape and manslaughter. As reported in the Mirror, Judge Richard Marks KC told him: “Taking advantage of her in the highly vulnerable state she clearly was in, was wicked and utterly reckless.”
CCTV footage was shown of mum-of-two Ms Shotter sitting on a bench with a different man when the defendant walked past and looked at them. Creep Iidow then left the park and drove away in his car before he returned.
Ms Shotter was lying down, showing “no clear movement” for around half-an-hour before the defendant approached her “nonchalantly”, Ms Morgan said. The monster was found guilty for the despicable crimes on October 18 following a three-week trial.
He denied rape and manslaughter but declined to give evidence in court. When interviewed by cops he claimed the sex was consensual but later changed his story, suggesting that Natalie was already dead when he raped her.
His heinous web of lies lies was soon rejected by a jury. At the time of the attack, the mum had been suffering from postpartum depression, alcohol dependency and drug abuse – factors which Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC says made her particularly “vulnerable” on the night of her death.
The CCTV footage showed the mum walking through the streets and talking on her phone before the attack. She was then seen stopping outside a shop to dance to the sound of a drum. Ms Morgan noted that Natalie did not appear drunk enough to have difficulties standing or walking, stating that the mum appeared “happy” on what was to be her final evening alive. The prosecutor said the mum may have also inhaled amyl nitrate – also known as poppers – but insisted that the legal high did not cause her death.
Images showed that predator Iidow circled Natalie and her friend, walking past on multiple occasions, after he found them sitting on the bench as he skulked through the park. The sex offender moved in and went on to carry out the horrific attack after he later discovered Natalie unconscious and alone.
Ms Morgan told jurors: “On the night in question, Natalie was out enjoying herself and was taken advantage of by this defendant. She was raped repeatedly by this defendant, and it was the process of raping her, again and again, that caused her death.”
Disturbing CCTV footage shows how, at 12.16 am, Iidow approached Natalie as she lay on the park bench before raping her and manoeuvring her into different positions. It was clear from the footage that Natalie was unconscious.
Ms Morgan said: “From the footage and the absence of movement by her, Natalie does not appear to have been conscious at the time she was raped, let alone consenting to what the defendant was doing to her. He could never have believed that she was consenting. This defendant’s actions – the process of raping her repeatedly – caused Natalie’s death.
Iidow left at 12.32 am before making a brief return at 12.48. He then left once more at 12.51am, driving away from the park and stopping off at a Shell garage on his way home, where he bought mouthwash and cat food before returning home to his wife and kids.
Natalie’s distraught mother Dr Cas Shotter Weetman told The Guardian: “I believe that what Iidow did was premeditated. He was stalking her. He wasn’t dithering, he didn’t just come across her by chance. He was out that night purposely looking for someone to rape. He seemed to think he was untouchable. I keep thinking about his poor wife and children. I saw that every time the CCTV footage of him raping Nat was played during the trial, his father, who was in the public gallery, got up and left the court.”
Natalie was discovered on the bench by a passerby in the early morning of July 17, 2021. Iidow’s DNA was found around her mouth. Initially, her death was treated as asphyxiation, with the cause of death listed as “unascertained” by the pathologist. The pathologist also found that although Natalie, who had a healthy heart and no signs of disease, had high levels of alcohol in her blood, neither this nor the poppers would have caused her death. A couple of months after the initial report was made, police agreed to a review of the pathology.
At the trial, pathologist Dr Ashley Fegan-Earl gave evidence that supported his belief that Natalie had died as a result of manslaughter as she had suffered café coronary syndrome (CSC) – where the nerves in the back of a person’s throat become overstimulated, resulting in a fatal cardiac attack.
As a youngster, Natalie was a talented performer and had dreams of going into acting. She attended the famous BRIT School in south London but, in the end, Natalie decided to dedicate her life to others and went into the health profession where she was working as an ultrasound clinical administrator for the NHS prior to her death.
Her mum said: “Nat was an absolute beautiful soul – bright, compassionate, kind. She was a fabulous mum – her boys and her little girl adored her. She had a wonderful heart and was loved by all, now cruelly taken away from her children, family, friends, and colleagues… She hated anything to do with prejudice and disliked anyone being unfair to others.”
Iidow denied rape and manslaughter but declined to give evidence during the trial. When interviewed by police he initially claimed that the sex was consensual but later changed his story, suggesting that she was already dead when he raped her.
If you’ve been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or by calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999