THE heartbroken mum of an NHS worker who died after being repeatedly raped while unconscious has labelled her attacker a “despicable monster” with no remorse.
Evil Mohamed Iidow preyed upon mum-of-three Natalie Shotter after he found her passed out on a park bench.
Dr Cas Shotter Weetman with her daughter Natalie Shotter[/caption]
Natalie was raped and killed by a stranger on a park bench[/caption]
Mohamed Iidow has been found guilty of the rape and manslaughter[/caption]
She later died from a heart attack, with her body discovered by a member of the public in Southall Park, West London, hours later.
Iidow, 35, was found guilty of rape and manslaughter earlier this month and is due to be sentenced on December 14.
Dr Cas Shotter Weetman said sitting through the Old Bailey trial – in which jurors wept as they watched CCTV of the incident – was “absolutely unbearable”.
The defendant claimed Natalie, 37, had consented to sex in exchange for money – a lie jurors saw straight through.
Iidow had been prowling the park on July 16 2021 looking for vulnerable women to attack when he came upon his victim, who was a stranger to him.
‘NO REMORSE’
Cas – a cardiology practitioner told MailOnline: “We got the justice that Nat deserved. But he had no remorse whatsoever.
“I never want to speak his name. I will refer to him as the ‘despicable deviant monster’ because that’s what he is.”
She added: “He made his presence known in a purposeful, premeditated and perpetual manner.”
Natalie had been battling post-natal depression after the birth of her third child, who was 21 months at the time of the attack.
She had been on a night out before going to the park with a friend.
Iidow was seen on CCTV circling by the pair on multiple occasions, and finally moved in to commit the horrific attack when he found Natalie passed out and alone.
Natalie was just 5ft and weighed less than seven stone.
Iidow then drove to a Shell garage and bought mouthwash and cat food on his way home to Hounslow.
“He made his presence known in a purposeful, premeditated and perpetual manner.”
Dr Cas Shotter Weetman
He was arrested three weeks later but it would be more than two years before he was charged with the attack.
Cas said Natalie’s death has had a devastating impact on her family.
As a child she had dreams of going into acting, excelling in drama before moving to Ravenscourt Theatre School, where past pupils include Nicholas Lyndhurst, Patsy Kensit and Ray Winstone.
She later attended BRIT School in South London.
However, she later chose a career in the NHS, working as an ultrasound clinical administrator.
Natalie lived with her partner with her then-baby daughter and two sons from a previous relationship.
Cas 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.”
Cas said if her daughter ever drank alcohol she would fall asleep as she was “only tiny” which made her “very, very vulnerable” the night she died.
The Old Bailey heard how, earlier that evening, Natalie had been captured on CCTV dancing outside a shop with other people.
She was then seen sitting on a bench with a different man when Lidlow walked past and looked at them.
Alison Morgan KC, prosecuting, said: “What was the defendant doing there, what was he seeking to do, walking up and down the paths in the middle of the night and thinking about what his objectives must have been – seeking out a vulnerable woman to rape.”
Iidow then left the park and drove away in his car, but returned later on.
Natalie had been lying down and showed “no clear movement” for around half an hour before the lidow approached her “nonchalantly”.
Ms Morgan added: “Natalie Shotter does not appear to have been conscious at the time that she was raped, let alone consenting to the defendant.
“He could never have believed that she was consenting.
“It was the process of raping Natalie repeatedly that caused her death.”
HARROWING CCTV
Further CCTV showed lidow moving her body around in different positions as he raped her.
Ms Morgan added: “Very sadly, by the time she was found, she had died and it was obvious that she had been dead for a number of hours.
“She had not been stabbed or beaten to death, there were no obvious signs of significant injury to her body and there was nobody else with her.
“It has taken time to understand what must have happened to Natalie that night to understand what it was that must have caused her death.
“Crucially a CCTV camera at some distance away from the bench on which she was found would reveal what had happened to her that night.”
Swabs taken from her mouth area matched DNA samples taken from lidow.
He later claimed in his police interview the sexual activity was consensual.
Iidow was found guilty by a unanimous verdict on October 18.
Natalie’s family sobbed in the well of the court as the verdict was passed.
Natalie was attacked in Southall Park[/caption]
How you can get help
Women’s Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
- Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – messageinfo@supportline.org.uk.
Women’s Aid provides a live chat service – available weekdays from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
