Mother of NHS employee won’t ever converse the identify of daughter’s killer

The heartbroken mother of an NHS worker who died after she was repeatedly raped while unconscious on a park bench told how she will never speak the name of the ‘despicable, deviant monster’ who killed her daughter.

Dr Cas Shotter Weetman spoke out after sexual predator Mohamed lidow was finally brought to justice over the ‘disturbing and shocking’ attack which shattered the lives of her loving family.

She faced the ‘absolutely unbearable’ ordeal of sitting through the convicted sex offender’s month-long trial at the Old Bailey during which relatives and jurors were left in tears after harrowing CCTV footage of the attack was played in court.

The family’s suffering was compounded as lidow, 35, repeatedly changed his story and claimed Natalie had consented to sex in exchange for money before his lies were rejected by a jury.

Now Dr Shotter Weetman has set aside her heartache to pay a moving tribute to Natalie, 37, a talented former drama student and devoted mother-of-three who dedicated her life to helping others.

And she spoke of her three-year battle to ensure lidow could no longer prowl the streets targeting vulnerable women.

As lidow faces a lengthy jail term, Dr Shotter Weetman – who works as a cardiology practitioner – told MailOnline: ‘We got the justice that Nat deserved. But he had no remorse whatsoever.

‘I never want to speak his name. I will refer to him as the “despicable deviant monster” because that’s what he is.

‘He made his presence known in a purposeful, premeditated and perpetual manner.

‘He acted like a predator. He is a very dangerous man. A depraved, deviant monster and there is no forgiveness afforded.

‘I’ll never say his name… but need to say her name and talk about Nat and what she meant to people. That should be the legacy.’

Natalie had been battling post-natal depression after the birth of her third child, a daughter who was aged just 21 months at the time of the attack.

She had enjoyed a night out before going to Southall Park with a friend on July 16 2021.

CCTV images showed lidow circled the pair, walking past on multiple occasions, after he found them sitting on the bench as he skulked through the park.

He moved in and went on to carry out the horrific attack after he later discovered Natalie passed out and alone.

The distressing footage played in court showed lidow carrying out the sustained attack while Natalie, who was just five foot tall and weighed less than seven stone, was ‘deeply unconscious’.

Callous lidow then drove back to his home in Hounslow via a Shell garage where he stopped to buy cat food and mouthwash.

Natalie’s body was discovered in the early hours the following morning and she was later found to have suffered a cardiac arrest.

Swabs taken from around Natalie’s mouth matched DNA samples taken from the defendant and expert evidence showed she had died as a result of the attack.

lidow was arrested three weeks after the attack but it would be more than two years before he was formally accused of the crime.

Dr Shotter Weetman, who has worked in the NHS for 45 years, claimed police failed her daughter after concerns for her welfare were not acted upon.

Just weeks before lidow was charged she said: ‘Nat doesn’t have a voice. I’m her voice. I’m not stopping my fight for justice. It’s a long-term mission. If Nat knew what I was doing I know she would be right there saying: ‘Thanks, Mum’.’

Dr Shotter Weetman told MailOnline of the devastating impact Natalie’s death has had on her family.

She told how as a youngster Natalie – a talented performer who was born in the West Middlesex University Hospital in Isleworth in May 1984 – had dreams of going into acting.

Natalie attended the local Gumley House Convent School, where she excelled at drama, before moving to the Ravenscourt Theatre School, where past pupils include Nicholas Lyndhurst, Patsy Kensit and Ray Winstone.

She also attended the famous BRIT School in South London.

In the end she decided to dedicate her life to others and went into the health profession where she was working as an ultrasound clinical administrator for the NHS at the time of the tragedy.

She lived in Heston, west London, with her partner who is father to her daughter who is now five. Natalie had two sons, now aged 18 and 19, from a previous relationship.

The older children have now been adopted by Natalie’s brother Harry and his wife Libby.

Her daughter will never get to know her mother and is growing up with her father just five miles from the park where Natalie died.

Dr Shotter-Weetman said: ‘We miss her hugs, kisses and smiles.

‘She would light up a room, always happy and fun.

‘Nat was an absolute beautiful soul – bright, compassionate, kind. She was a fabulous mum – her boys and her little girl adored her.

‘She had a wonderful heart and was loved by all, now cruelly taken away from her children, family, friends, and colleagues.

‘Her last job was working in the NHS and previously she had done charity work for Alzheimer’s and the British Heart Foundation. Some people are just genuinely kind – and Nat really was.

‘She hated anything to do with prejudice and disliked anyone being unfair to others.’

Of her childhood she said: ‘Nat was in Les Miserables by the age of 12. She was the understudy to the actress who played Eponine.

‘We all went to the West End to see the production. It was an immensely proud moment for me as her mum.

‘But she was doing all sorts of stuff by then, TV adverts for Heinz and the ‘Keep Britain Tidy’ campaign.

‘Nat most definitely excelled at drama, she had a fantastic singing voice and loved to perform.

‘She was also a great comedian. She excelled in the arts and creative subjects. I had messages from her school friends over the weekend, which was so wonderful.

‘It’s great that she is remembered and her friends are still talking about her. It’s so lovely.

‘She was a very popular girl, she was tiny but quite loud and very feisty. She had a very infectious laugh.’

Dr Shotter Weetman told how on the night of the tragedy she had to drive up north to Yorkshire to care for her elderly father who was dying.

She said Natalie had been vulnerable at the time as she was suffering anxiety and low moods following the birth of her daughter and had been diagnosed with antenatal depression – a common condition affecting more than one in 10 women.

She said: ‘I’m aware that Nat went to the park and then had met someone that night and he followed her into the park, sat with her for a bit and he left. And then the deviant monster arrived. He’d been roaming the park.

‘She was taking anti-depressants because she had post-natal depression after the birth of her daughter just before Covid.

‘She would occasionally drink alcohol – she wasn’t an alcoholic – but she would sometimes drink. She was only tiny and the effects of that would be that Nat would sleep. That made her very, very vulnerable the evening she died.

‘The post-natal depression, which coincided with the Covid lockdown, made things really difficult for her especially as she’d been such an independent, popular, outspoken young woman.

‘On the night she died, I was never aware that Nat had been in Southall, I was in Yorkshire looking after my father at the time, who was dying.

‘I always assumed she was out with friends but I’m not sure of that. She was seen, though, in the street dancing, enjoying herself, singing.’

lidow denied rape and manslaughter but declined to give evidence during the trial.

When interviewed by police he initially claimed that the sex was consensual but later changed his story, suggesting that she was already dead when he raped her.

It was only after the trial that it emerged lidow had a previous conviction for trying to groom young people online.

Describing the ordeal of having to sit through the traumatic proceedings, Natalie’s mother said of lidow: ‘During the court case, he made out as if she was selling herself.

‘It was painful to listen to that. Her father, myself, her brother and one of her sons were able to come for one of the days.

‘It was terribly hard to hear his explanation of events and see what he did on the CCTV footage.

‘We are all exhausted. Emotionally, it’s been very, very draining.

‘Like me, the rest of the family are finding it horrendously difficult.

‘Nat’s partner is looking after their daughter but he is now bringing her up on his own. She was just over a year old when Nat died.

‘The boys were adopted by my son and his wife when Nat died, which is quite incredible.

‘I miss her. We all miss her so much. We’d been on holiday together and would try to meet once a week to have lunch and a catch-up.’

Two Metropolitan Police officers were investigated over alleged misconduct after failing to respond when a member of the public expressed concern over Natalie’s welfare.

The case was initially referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct but was sent back to the Met.

Rather than face misconduct proceedings, the pair underwent ‘unsatisfactory performance’ procedures.

Dr Shotter Weetman, later complained that her daughter would still be alive if the officers had helped her that night.

She said: ‘The impact of Nat’s loss has been devastating. The police had a real opportunity to save her but failed in their duty. The cost of their failure was my daughter’s life.’

Following the guilty verdict, lidow was remanded in custody to be sentenced on December 13.