A mother-of-three was raped “over and over again until she died” as she lay unconscious on a park bench, a court heard.
Natalie Shotter, 37, an NHS worker, was attacked after apparently falling unconscious during a night out in Southall, west London, jurors were told.
Iidow Mohamed, 35, is accused of taking advantage of her in the early hours of July 17, 2021. He denies rape and murder.
Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC said Shotter’s body was discovered in the bank hours after the attack by a bystander.
“What happened to Natalie was unclear,” he said. “They had not stabbed her or beaten her to death. There were no signs of major injuries on her body and there was no one else with her.
NHS worker Natalie Shotter (pictured) was attacked after apparently falling unconscious during a night out in Southall, west London, jurors were told.
Ms Shotter was found dead on a bench in Southall Park (pictured), west London, on July 17, 2021.
Ms Shotter (pictured with her mother) was just over 5ft tall and weighed just over six and a half stone (43kg), jurors were told.
Jurors were told they will see more CCTV footage from the park where Natalie died, which will show Mohamed assaulting her (pictured: Southall Park gates).
‘It has taken time to understand what must have happened to Natalie to cause her death.
“The most important thing is that a CCTV camera located some distance from the bank reveals what happened to him that night.”
Morgan described Shotter as “vulnerable” and said he had struggled with mental health issues, alcohol dependency and drug abuse.
“On the night in question, Natalie was enjoying herself and this defendant took advantage of her,” Ms Morgan said.
‘The accused raped her repeatedly and it was the process of raping her, over and over again, that caused her death.
‘Although grainy and at a distance, the CCTV footage shows the accused carrying out acts of oral penetration.
‘From the images and her lack of movement, Natalie does not appear to have been conscious at the time she was raped, much less to have consented to what the defendant was doing to her.
“He would never have believed she was consenting. This defendant’s actions (the process of raping her repeatedly) caused Natalie’s death.
The court heard Mrs Shotter was very vulnerable on the night of the attack. He stood just over five feet tall and weighed just over six and a half stone (43kg), jurors were told.
Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC said Ms Shotter’s body was discovered in the bank hours after the attack by a bystander.
The court heard Ms Shotter (pictured) was very vulnerable on the night of the attack.
Morgan said Shotter (far right) had been drinking and may have inhaled the legal high amyl nitrate, also known as poppers, but insisted this did not cause his death.
Morgan said Shotter had been drinking and may have inhaled the legal high amyl nitrate, also known as poppers, but insisted this did not cause his death.
“The prosecution’s argument is that substance use made Natalie even more vulnerable,” he said.
“It didn’t cause her death, but it may well explain how she came to be on that park bench, alone, in the middle of the night, lying on her side, vulnerable to the men in that park.” .’
The court was shown CCTV from earlier that night, which showed Ms Shotter walking the streets and talking on her mobile phone.
At one point she stopped in front of a store to dance to the beat of a drum and was joined by a man and two other women.
Morgan noted that Shotter didn’t appear to be so drunk that she couldn’t stand or had difficulty walking, adding that she seemed “happy.”
Jurors were told they will see more CCTV footage from the park where Natalie died, which will show Mohamed assaulting her.
Yesterday he spoke only to confirm his name and plead not guilty to rape and involuntary manslaughter.
The trial continues.
