Unconscious mother-of-three, 37, was raped and died on a park bench after night out, court hears

A mother-of-three as raped to demise as she lay defenceless and alone on a park bench, a court docket heard.

NHS employee Natalie Shotter, 37, was attacked after apparently falling unconscious throughout an evening out in Southall, West London, jurors have been advised.

Iidow Mohamed, 35, is accused of profiting from her within the early hours of July 17, 2021. He denies rape and manslaughter.

Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC mentioned Ms Shotter’s physique was found on the bench hours after the assault by a passerby.

‘What had occurred to Natalie was not clear,’ she mentioned. ‘She had not been stabbed or crushed to demise. There have been no indicators of great damage to her physique, and nobody else was along with her.

‘It has taken time to know what will need to have occurred to Natalie to trigger her demise.

‘Crucially, a CCTV digicam at far away from the bench reveals what occurred to her that night time.’

Ms Morgan described Ms Shotter as ‘susceptible’, saying she had struggled with psychological well being points, alcohol dependency and drug abuse.

‘On the night time in query, Natalie was out having fun with herself and was taken benefit of by this defendant,’ mentioned Ms Morgan.

‘She was raped repeatedly by this defendant and it was the method of raping her, time and again, that induced her demise.

‘Though it’s grainy and at a distance, the CCTV footage reveals the defendant participating in acts of oral penetration.

‘From the footage and the absence of motion by her, Natalie doesn’t seem to have been acutely aware on the time she was raped, not to mention consenting to what the defendant was doing to her.

‘He might by no means have believed that she was consenting. This defendant’s actions – the method of raping her repeatedly – induced Natalie’s demise.’

The court docket heard Natalie was very susceptible on the night time of the assault. She measured little greater than 5ft and weighed simply over six and a half stone (43kg), jurors have been advised.

Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC mentioned Ms Shotter’s physique was found on the bench hours after the assault by a passerby

Ms Morgan mentioned Natalie had been consuming and will have inhaled the authorized excessive amyl nitrate – also called poppers – however insisted these didn’t trigger her demise.

‘The prosecution’s case is that consuming substances made Natalie all of the extra susceptible,’ she mentioned. 

‘It didn’t trigger her demise, however it might effectively clarify the way it was that she got here to be on that bench within the park, on her personal, in the midst of the night time, mendacity on her aspect, susceptible to males in that park.’

The court docket was proven CCTV from earlier within the night time which confirmed Ms Shotter strolling by way of the streets and speaking on her cell. 

At one level she stopped outdoors a store to bounce to the sound of a drum and was joined by a person and two different girls.

Ms Morgan identified that Ms Shotter didn’t seem like so drunk that she was unable to face or struggling to stroll, including she seemed ‘glad’.

Jurors have been advised they’ll see additional CCTV footage of the park the place Natalie died which is able to present Mohamed assaulting her.

Yesterday, he spoke solely to substantiate his identify and plead not responsible to rape and manslaughter.

The trial continues.