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Two Metropolitan police officers are facing misconduct proceedings over an alleged failure to safeguard a woman raped and killed in a park, after a watchdog overruled a decision not to hold a disciplinary hearing.
The family of Natalie Shotter have welcomed the decision by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) as “another step on the road in the fight for justice for Nat”.
Shotter, 37, was found dead on a bench in Southall Park, west London, just before 6am on the morning of 17 July 2021. In October 2024, Mohamed Iidow was convicted of the NHS worker’s rape and manslaughter, in a highly significant ruling that found oral rape as a cause of death. He had pleaded not guilty but chose not to give evidence in his defence.
It is alleged that the evening before Shotter was found dead, one of the officers now facing disciplinary proceedings was approached by a member of the public who told them that a woman in the park was in a vulnerable situation. The officer and a colleague were nearby dealing with a separate incident. The officer advised the member of the public to call the police for additional support.
The IOPC director, David Ford, said: “After careful consideration of the evidence, we have decided two Met police officers should face a misconduct meeting for allegedly failing to safeguard Ms Shotter. On the previous evening, one of the officers was notified by a member of the public that a woman was in a vulnerable situation. The following day, Ms Shotter was, sadly, found dead in the park.
“The constables – who were both probationers – are alleged to have failed to properly risk assess, document or to take any real action in relation to the information reported to them.”
Shotter’s family made a complaint to Scotland Yard about the actions of the two officers. The Met investigated the complaint and concluded that both officers should be subject to unsatisfactory performance procedures rather than face disciplinary proceedings.
Ford said: “We were asked by Ms Shotter’s family to review the force’s handling of the family’s complaint and, in June 2025, we disagreed with the Met’s decision. We have directed them to arrange a misconduct meeting for the two officers, who have a case to answer for an alleged breach of the police professional standards of behaviour relating to duties and responsibilities.
“It will now be for the panel to consider the evidence and determine if the case is proven and, if so, decide on the most appropriate outcome.”
Shotter’s mother, Dr Cas Shotter Weetman, a lead advanced cardiology practitioner for the NHS, welcomed the IOPC decision. “We are enormously happy about this decision. Common sense has been shown here. I know Nat would be delighted about this. It’s another step on the road in our fight for justice for her,” she said.
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In a separate case, PC Adam Aspinall Da Encarnacao, 32, pleaded not guilty to two charges of misconduct in public office at Westminster magistrates court in August 2024. He is due to stand trial at Southwark crown court later this year.
The charges relate to the inappropriate possession and sharing of images concerning the alleged rape of one woman and the rape of another. One of the women was Shotter. The officer was suspended from duty after his arrest in September 2022.
