Natalie Shotter: Mother of three dies after being raped on park bench after night out

A mother of three died after being raped as she lay defenceless on a park bench, a court heard.

NHS worker Natalie Shotter, 37, was attacked after apparently falling unconscious during a night out in Southall, west London, jurors were told.

Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC told the Old Bailey Ms Shotter’s body was discovered on the bench hours after the attack on July 17, 2021.

Mohamed Iidow, 35, denies rape and manslaughter.

“What had happened to Natalie was not clear,” said Ms Morgan.

“She had not been stabbed or beaten to death. There were no signs of significant injury to her body, and no one else was with her . . .

“Crucially, a CCTV camera at some distance away from the bench reveals what happened to her.”

Ms Morgan described Ms Shotter as “vulnerable”, saying she had struggled with mental health issues, alcohol dependency and drug abuse.

“On the night in question, Natalie was out enjoying herself and was taken advantage of by this defendant,” said Ms Morgan.

“She was raped repeatedly by this defendant and it was the process of raping her, again and again, that caused her death.”

The court heard Ms Shotter was very vulnerable on the night of the attack. She was little more than 5 ft tall and weighed just over six and a half stone (43kg), jurors were told.

Ms Morgan said Natalie had been drinking and may have inhaled the legal high amyl nitrate – also known as poppers – but insisted these did not cause her death.

“The prosecution’s case is that consuming substances made Natalie all the more vulnerable,” she said.

“It did not cause her death, but it may well explain how it was that she came to be on that bench in the park, on her own, in the middle of the night, lying on her side, vulnerable to males in that park.”

The court was shown CCTV from earlier in the night which showed Ms Shotter walking through the streets and talking on her mobile phone.

At one point she stopped outside a shop to dance to the sound of a drum. Ms Morgan pointed out that Ms Shotter did not appear to be so drunk that she was unable to stand or struggling to walk, adding she looked ‘happy”.

Jurors were told they will see more CCTV footage of the park where Ms Shotter died which will show Iidow assaulting her.

Yesterday, he spoke only to confirm his name and plead not guilty to rape and manslaughter. The trial continues.

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