The parents of a woman allegedly raped to death sat together today and watched her final moments played out in court.
Mother-of-three Natalie Shotter, 37, was attacked after apparently falling unconscious during a night out in Southall, west London, the court heard.
Mohamed lidow, 35, is accused of orally raping her around midnight on July 16, 2021, the Old Bailey heard. He denies rape and manslaughter.
He was caught on CCTV with Mrs Shotter, who was just five feet tall and weighed six and a half stone.
Ms Shotter’s relatives – including her mother Dr Cas Shotter Weetman – sat in the public gallery at the Old Bailey as CCTV footage of Iidow approaching her daughter on a park bench late at night was played to the jury.
After about 15 minutes, Iidow got up and left the scene. On the way home he bought cat food and Listerine at a Shell garage.
The NHS worker was found dead by a passer-by in Southall Park early the next morning.
The prosecution claims the repeated rape caused Ms Shotter to die of cardiac arrest. CCTV footage from a camera in the park was shown to the jury and narrated by prosecutor Alison Morgan KC.
One male juror was in tears as the footage was shown and two female jurors turned their faces away from the footage.
Mother-of-three Natalie Shotter, 37, was attacked after apparently falling unconscious during a night out in Southall, west London
Mrs Shotter (pictured with her mother) was just over 6ft tall and weighed just over 43kg, jurors were told.
Ms Shotter was found dead on a bench in Southall Park (pictured), west London, in July 2021
Members of Ms Shotter’s family, who were in the court pit, were also visibly upset.
Ms Morgan KC alleged Iidow – who appeared in court via live video link from Belmarsh Prison – orally raped Ms Shotter to such an extent that the ‘hyperstimulation of the sensitive nerves at the back of her throat’ led to cardiac arrest.
She told the court: ‘At 11.41pm her arm can be seen moving, slightly flailing, she is lying along the sofa.
‘Natalie is lying there and there is no indication that she suddenly fell to the floor dead, or that she is having a seizure.
‘Consuming alcohol and consuming poppers could make her lie down that way; she must have been drowsy and semi-conscious.
“The plaintiff believes that even if she had consumed these substances, there was no reason for her to die prior to this point.
“It’s entirely possible she was lying on that bench because of what she ate.”
‘What was the suspect doing there? What did he want to do, walking the paths in the middle of the night?
‘Looking for a vulnerable woman to rape.’
The court heard that Mrs Shotter (pictured) was very vulnerable on the night of the attack
Jurors cried as they were shown CCTV footage of the alleged rape. Pictured: Southall Park
“The only person who would have known if Natalie Shotter was alive was this defendant,” the prosecutor said.
‘He raped her repeatedly. The prosecution’s case is not just about rape, but also about manslaughter. The prosecution’s case is that Natalie died as a result of what was done to her. She wasn’t dead at the time.
‘He had sex with someone who was still alive, but deeply unconscious.
‘He said Natalie Shotter lay down on the sofa and then he tried to get her up for a minute or two, he ‘tapped her’ and asked if she was OK and then left. He said the whole process took six minutes.
‘During the third police interview the defendant was told that Natalie Shotter had been found dead in the park in the early hours of the morning. He was shocked and said he wished he had helped her.”
The court was shown a recording of the interview in which Iidow reacted to the news of Ms Shotter’s death by saying ‘Holy s***’ and ‘Oh God’.
The prosecutor continued, “One of the questions you want to ask yourself is: If Natalie Shotter was dead before the defendant even met her, why was he so shocked to hear of her death?
‘He is shocked because the person he verbally raped was still alive – not conscious – but alive.
“He then stated that Natalie Shotter was a fully consenting adult, that she was in control of her movements and verbally responsive.
“When he left Natalie, she was fine, if not a little slumped on the couch. He said that while he was sitting behind the sofa with his shorts down, Ms Shotter had positioned herself so that she was on her knees facing him.
“He further stated that he asked if she needed him to call someone for her, which she refused and said she was waiting for friends.
“So the defendant’s story is that Natalie Shotter was alive and consented to the sexual activity with the defendant. You will want to consider whether the CCTV footage indicates that Natalie Shotter appeared to consent to sexual activity in the manner alleged by the defendant.”
In a police interview he said Mrs Shotter had offered him a ‘blow job’ for £10.
A toxicology report found Ms Shotter was driving more than three times the legal driving limit, but neither her alcohol nor poppers consumption was likely to have caused her death.
Ms Morgan KC said: ‘That night out, and consuming what she did, made her vulnerable, vulnerable to men, vulnerable to this defendant, but it didn’t kill her.
NHS worker Natalie Shotter (pictured) was attacked after apparently falling unconscious during a night out in Southall, west London, jurors were told
Ms Morgan said Ms Shotter (far right) had been drinking and may have inhaled legal high amyl nitrate – also known as poppers – but insisted these did not cause her death.
‘By raping again and again [he] caused the cardiac arrest.”
The court was shown CCTV footage earlier in the evening of Ms Shotter walking through the streets and talking on her mobile.
At one point, she stopped outside a store to dance to the sound of a drum, and was joined by a man and two other women.
Ms Morgan pointed out that Ms Shotter did not look so drunk that she could not stand or had difficulty walking, adding that she looked ‘happy’.
Lidow, of St Paul’s Close, Hounslow, was first arrested on August 4, 2021 and charged on December 21, 2023.
The process continues.