A “wicked” robber who was caught on CCTV abducting and killing an NHS worker on a park bench has been jailed for life.
Mohamed Iidow attacked Natalie Shotter, 37, while she was out and about in Southall Park, west London, last night. Jurors heard how the former child stage star had died from a heart attack caused by a heart attack he said “over and over again”.
According to the trial, Old Bailey, Iidow, 35, was convicted of kidnapping and murder.
He did not tell jurors about his previous conviction for seeking sexual activity from young brides online.
The court heard the “extraordinarily talented” Shotter was a beloved mother, sister, partner, daughter and former child star of the theater’s production of Les Miserables.
On Friday, Judge Richard Marks KC sentenced Iidow to life with a minimum term of 10 years and eight months.
He said Iidow using Shotter when she was vulnerable and unconscious was “bad and reckless”.
Although there had never before been a case of someone dying from oral sex, there was a “high risk” that he would suffer serious harm from what he was doing to her over “many minutes”, the judge said.
Iidow was a “dangerous offender” and was also involved in an “explicit” sexual conversation with a girl, who was believed to be 13 years old in August 2022, during the investigation into the kidnapping.
Earlier, Shotter’s mother, Dr Cas Shotter Weetman, an NHS cardiology doctor, described her daughter as a “bundle of joy”, who had starred in the hit musical at the age of 12.
Shotter had secured a place at the prestigious BRIT School of the Arts in Croydon and had opportunities to work in theater and television, he said.
As an adult, she became a mother of three and worked for the British Heart Foundation before getting a job in clinical management at her local NHS hospital.
Dr Shotter Weetman said: “She was brilliant at her job, kind to staff and patients alike. The day I found out about Nat, I felt completely weakened and felt a heavy punishment. I was absolutely shocked.
“I would later learn from the police that my daughter had died in these horrific circumstances.
“When Mohamed Iidow – and this is the only time I will say his name – I was finally accused, I was so happy but I understood that everything is still to come. Watching the CCTV footage of my daughter’s abduction was a sight to behold. No mother should see that.”
Addressing the defendant, he began: “You have heard the doctor’s testimony about how you destroyed my family with the death of my daughter.
“No woman should be afraid to go to the park and sit on the bench. It is an abomination. You entered after a vulnerable woman. She was a beautiful mother, a great sister and daughter, a great kid. We are missing our beautiful girl.”
Andrew Shotter, Natalie’s father, recalled his “feisty” daughter with “wonderful memories” of her performing in Les Miserables in front of thousands of people.
He who heard what happened in the last moments of his life was horrible.
She added to the ambulance service worker: “I feel helpless. In my head I cry to him not to go in the garden. I cannot save her from man.
Shotter’s partner, Anthony Wilson, said that his killer’s sentence made him “angry” and that his new role as a single father made him feel “stretched in every direction”.
During the trial, the court heard how Shotter had been seen dancing happily in the street before going out after a night out in the park.
Jurors had watched CCTV of Iidow walking past the victim three times in the street as the “predator” sat on a bench.
Half an hour later she was lying down, showing “no clear movement” when the accused approached her “nonchalantly”, prosecutor Alison Morgan KC said.
She was “completely unaware” when Iidow repeatedly verbally assaulted her, even moving Shotter’s body in different places, the court was told.
The defendant then drove back to his home in Hounslow, west London, through a garage where he stopped to buy cat food and mouthwash.
Shotter, whose three children are aged between five and 19, was found dead by a passerby in the park in the early hours of July 17, 2021.
Following the sentencing, Kirsty O’Connor, for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Natalie Shotter was enjoying herself at night and was kidnapped by Mohamed Iidow. He repeatedly grabbed her, not knowing how she caused her death.
“The investigation was very complex and involved working closely with witnesses and police and experts to confirm what caused the victim and what led to the death.”
“During police interviews, he said Natalie was alive and consenting to having sex with him. However, CCTV footage proved that was not the case, with the victim unconscious throughout the attack.
“The CPS was established to deliver justice for the victims of kidnapping. Tragically, this cheap attack cost Natalie her life and we would like to express our deepest condolences to her children and loved ones at this time.
“Natalie’s family has shown the utmost courage and dignity through what has been a harrowing investigation and trial. We thank them for their support and offer our sincere condolences for the devastating loss of Natalie.”