A predator who killed an NHS worker by repeatedly raping her until she had a heart attack has been jailed for life.
Mohamed Iidow, 35, was seen on CCTV prowling Southall Park, west London, looking for a vulnerable woman to attack before approaching Natalie Shotter, who lay passed out on one of the benches.
The cameras also captured the depraved abuse that followed as Iidow manoeuvred the 37-year-old mum-of-three’s ‘deeply unconscious’ body to attack her ‘again and again’ for more than 15 minutes.
Natalie’s mum, Dr Cas Shotter Weetman, a NHS cardiology practitioner, said society should tackle ‘horrific’ violence towards women, saying many cannot walk freely and feel safe.
She said: ‘We need to change our thoughts about how we behave.
‘There are people out there who continue to act in a very deviant and horrendous way and think that they can get away with it.’
In a moving victim impact statement, she described the horrific ordeal of having to watch her daughter being raped, adding: ‘No mother should ever have to see that.
‘Hearing medical evidence of how you caused my daughter’s death destroyed my family.
‘I felt such anger my daughter had gone to the park on a night out enjoying herself and was assaulted by a predator.
‘No woman should have to fear going to a park and sitting on a bench- it is disgusting.’
Dr Shotter Weetman also paid tribute to her daughter, saying she was a ‘beautiful soul’ and the ‘kindest girl’ who would help others.
She said her daughter was a ‘great mum’ to her three children aged five to 19.
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Dr Shotter Weetman described how Natalie had been active in a local theatre group and at the age of 12 she starred on the West End in Les Miserables as the understudy to the actor playing Éponine.
She attended theatre school and had a ‘natural flair’ for singing, acting and comedy and later attended the BRIT School in Croydon.
‘[Natalie] had opportunities to work in theatre and television and loved to sing and would do so everywhere,’ her mother said.
‘Nat worked part time in a restaurant from age of 17 then had two sons who she loved so so much.
‘She worked as a volunteer for the British Heart Foundation and worked for the local Alzheimer’s society in their local forget-me-not memory cafe.
‘She was compassionate and had a good heart.
‘In her last job she worked in clinical administration in a local hospital. She was brilliant at her job and loved by those who worked with her.’
On Friday, Judge Richard Marks KC sentenced Iidow to life with a minimum term of 10 years and eight months.
He told Iidow that taking advantage of ‘exceptionally talented’ Ms Shotter when she was vulnerable and unconscious was ‘wicked and utterly reckless’.
Even though there had never been a recorded case before of someone dying as a result of an overstimulation of the nerves at the back of the throat causing cardiac arrest, there was a ‘high risk’ that she would suffer really serious harm from what he did to her over ‘several minutes’, the judge said.
During the trial, prosecutor Alison Morgan KC said Ms Shotter had died of a heart attack caused by Iidow raping her ‘again and again’.
CCTV footage was shown of Ms Shotter sitting on a bench with a different man when Iidow walked past and looked at them.
‘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,’ Ms Morgan said.
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 he approached her ‘nonchalantly’, Ms Morgan said.
During the attack, the victim had been ‘deeply unconscious’, she said.
Further CCTV showed the defendant moving Ms Shotter’s body around in different positions as he raped her.
Ms Shotter was found dead by a passer-by in the park in the early morning of July 17, 2021.
Swabs taken from her mouth area matched DNA samples taken from Iidow.
He was arrested at his home on August 4, 2021, and claimed in his police interview the sexual activity was consensual.
Ms Morgan told jurors: ‘The prosecution’s case is that Natalie died as a result of what was done to her by this defendant.
‘She was not dead at the time when the defendant was orally raping her, it will be a matter for you to consider – that this defendant went to the park for a reason.
‘He would not have sought to have sex with a dead body for over 15 minutes, he was having sex with someone he knew was alive but was deeply unconscious and therefore he was raping her.’
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Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Jolley, who led the Scotland Yard investigation, said: ‘Iidow’s predatory attack on Natalie was disturbing and shocking.
‘This man drove to the park that night and took advantage of a vulnerable woman who should have been safe.
‘Even after his arrest, Iidow attempted to claim that his actions were consensual.
‘This case has deeply affected those involved, due to its rarity and tragic details.
‘We needed to prove Natalie’s death was caused by being raped and that involved diligent work using experts in this field to charge and now convict Iidow.
If you have been the victim of rape, either recently or historically, and are looking for help, support is out there.
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‘I commend the strength of Natalie’s friends and family who have had to listen to these details throughout the trial. Iidow is now facing a long term of imprisonment.’
Kirsty O’Connor, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: ‘The victim had been on a night out enjoying herself and she was preyed upon by Mohammed Iidow. He raped her repeatedly, while she was unconscious, which caused her death.
‘The investigation was extremely complex and involved working closely with the police and expert witnesses to establish what had happened to the victim and what led to her death.
‘During police interviews, he stated that the victim was alive and consenting to the sexual activity with him. However, CCTV footage has proved that to not be the case, with the victim unconscious during the entire attack.’
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