A police officer has been arrested and is under investigation over claims that he shared CCTV footage of the alleged rape of a woman who later died, the Guardian has learned.
The case relates to Natalie Shotter, 37, who died on 17 July 2021 in Southall Park, west London, after a night out with friends.
Shotter, an NHS worker and mother of three, became unwell while in the park and lay down on a bench. A friend she was with went to find help. He found two police officers and asked for their assistance but claims the officers said they could not help because they were dealing with another incident and advised him to dial 101.
Shotter was then approached by another man, who allegedly raped her, and she was later found dead. Initial postmortem test results found her cause of death to be inconclusive.
The Guardian understands there are three investigations under way relating to Shotter’s death. The first is a criminal investigation into the man who is alleged to have raped Shotter, the second is into the police officer investigating Shotter’s death who allegedly shared CCTV footage of the incident, and the third is into the conduct of the two officers who allegedly told Shotter’s friend they could not help.
Shotter’s mother, Dr Cas Shotter Weetman, a lead advance practitioner in cardiology who has worked in the NHS for 44 years, is campaigning for justice for her daughter.
“I’m just so sad,” she said. “I want to know why police did not go to Nat’s aid on that night when she needed help. What was the rationale of not going into the park to check on a lone woman?
“My view is that the Met police is misogynistic. Natalie weighed just 45kg. She was a feisty little being. We are missing a beautiful girl, a lovely mum. She was a really good kid.”
It was some time after Shotter’s death that Metropolitan police officers told the family that an officer investigating the case had allegedly shared CCTV footage of the incident.
“I was gobsmacked and appalled when the police told me about this,” Weetman said. “I thought: ‘Where do I go with this? How do I manage this for Nat’s children? Where has it gone? I wasn’t happy with the Met police and I will never be happy with the Met police. They are public servants and they should be doing their job, which is to protect people.
“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’.”
Marcia Willis Stewart KC (Hon), of Birnberg Peirce, who represents Shotter’s mother, said the family was calling on the Independent Office for Police Conduct to independently investigate the Met police’s conduct before and after her death.
“They remain gravely concerned at the continued refusal to do so,” she said. “This is despite the obvious seriousness of the case, the public interest in effective policing and operational learning, and the IOPC’s own stated aim to hold the police to account for their response to violence against women and girls.”
A Met police spokesperson said: “A police constable, attached to the west area basic command unit, was arrested by professional standards officers on 12 September 2022 on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
“He was suspended the same day and is currently released under investigation while inquiries continue. The ongoing criminal investigation is examining whether images of deceased people, found on the officer’s digital devices, were taken and used for a legitimate policing purpose.”
The spokesperson said the case was referred to the IOPC which had determined it should be investigated by the Met.
Regarding the two officers who Shotter’s family complained failed to respond to her friend’s request for help, the spokesperson said: “An investigation by the Met’s directorate of professional standards found that they should be referred to the unsatisfactory performance procedure but that their actions did not amount to misconduct.”
A spokesperson for the IOPC said that following a request from the family it was reviewing the case in relation to the two officers near the park.
The spokesperson also said the IOPC had received a further complaint referral “which related to an officer allegedly sharing footage of the alleged rape of the woman. We decided this matter should also be subject to an investigation by the MPS [Metropolitan Police Service].”
