By Grâçia Ada Obi
Natalie Shotter age 37 and a mother of three had been on a night out and was unconscious in a London park when a man “seeking out a vulnerable woman to rape” found her and carried out the alleged attack, jurors heard.
Homeless Mohamed Lidow, 35, is on trial accused of rape and manslaughter. He has denied both charges.
Ms Shotter died of a heart attack caused by Lidow raping her “again and again,” prosecutor Alison Morgan KC told jurors.
The court was shown CCTV footage of Ms Shotter sitting on a bench with a different man when, the prosecution says, Lidow walked past and looked at them.
He then left the park and drove away, before returning later, jurors heard.
The prosecutor said Ms Shotter was lying down and showing “no clear movement” for around 30 minutes before the defendant approached her “nonchalantly.” During the alleged attack, the victim was “deeply unconscious,” she said.
Ms Morgan continued: “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.”
Jurors were shown CCTV which, the prosecution said, showed the defendant moving Ms Shotter’s body into different positions as he raped her.
Ms Morgan told jurors: “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.”
Ms Shotter’s body was found in Southall Park by a passer-by in the early morning of July 17 2021, the court previously heard.
Swabs taken from Ms Shotter’s mouth area matched DNA samples taken from the defendant, the court heard.
The trial has been adjourned until Monday.
