Woman would be alive if Met Police had helped her - mother

Cas Shotter Weetman says she feels the Met Police's internal investigation amounted to "marking your own homework"

The mother of a woman who was found dead in a park says she believes her daughter would still be alive if the Met Police had helped her.

Natalie Shotter, 37, died on 17 July 2021 in Southall Park, west London, after a night out with friends.

Her mother says her daughter's friend told officers nearby she was unwell and needed help but they refused.

She was then assaulted before her body was found. Post-mortem tests found her cause of death to be inconclusive.

The Met Police says its internal investigation found the officers' actions "did not amount to misconduct".

A 32-year-old man has been arrested and released on bail as part of the force's continuing investigation into Ms Shotter's death.

Ms Shotter's mother said her daughter, a mother of three and NHS worker, had been on a night out with a group of friends and was in the park with a friend.

He became concerned for Ms Shotter's welfare and found two police officers nearby, who he asked for help.

Dr Shotter Weetman claims the officers refused to assist and told the man to call 101 instead.

She has accused the Met of a "huge dereliction of duty" and of failing to protect vulnerable people.

Dr Shotter Weetman says there is "something very seriously wrong with the culture" at the Met Police

"I'm bereft that it's happened to Natalie. I feel we must hold them to account; I believe she would still be alive," she said.

"If the police officers had gone to her aid she would not have found herself in a position where she was assaulted in a park and, later on, died."

'Unsatisfactory performance'

Although the case was referred to the police watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), it made the decision that the Met's Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS) should investigate.

That investigation recommended the officers should face misconduct proceedings, but they are instead facing "unsatisfactory performance" procedures.

Dr Shotter Weetman says she is now speaking out about the way the force handled her daughter's case because she "doesn't want this to happen to anybody else".

She said she was also concerned that the fact her daughter was a woman might have played a part in how the force had responded to her case.

She believes knowing that Ms Shotter was a woman on her own should "have been enough" for the officers to check on her or alert their colleagues.

"Without a doubt there is something very seriously wrong with the culture," she said.

"What judgement did they make about her? What sort of victim did they see her as?

The Met Police says it continues to investigate Natalie Shotter's death and a man has been arrested

"It doesn't give women a good feeling, that we may not be taken seriously because the culture at the moment feels like we really don't matter," she added.

Dr Shotter Weetman has written to Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley asking for a thorough investigation into how the review was handled, and says she is waiting to hear if the IOPC will review its decision not to deal with the case.

A spokesperson for the Met Police said officers continued to investigate Ms Shotter's death.

Reviewing letter

They said following a post-mortem examination that "no cause of death was established".

As part of the investigation, a 32-year-old man has been arrested and released on bail.

They said: "The evening before Natalie was found dead, two officers on duty in the local area were approached and spoken to by a friend of hers who had been with her in the park and was concerned she seemed unwell.

"The officers, who were dealing with another incident at the time, did not enter the park or take any further actions following the conversation.

"An investigation by the DPS found that they should be referred to the Unsatisfactory Performance Procedure but that their actions did not amount to misconduct."

The spokesperson added the force was currently reviewing a letter from Ms Shotter's mother raising concerns about the DPS decision and the way it was arrived at.

An IOPC spokesperson said: "We received a complaint referral from the Metropolitan Police Service in October 2022 in relation to this matter.

"The complaint was assessed and we decided that a local investigation by the force was appropriate.

"The complainant was advised and notified that they will have a right to review to the IOPC at the end of the investigation should they be unsatisfied with the outcome."

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