Prosecutor Accuses 'Sexually Obsessed' Stepfather of Murdering Student

A stepfather on trial for the murder of his 19-year-old stepdaughter allegedly treated her with sexual jealousy, a prosecutor told Preston Crown Court. Nicholas Lumley KC, delivering his closing speech, questioned whether Carla Georgescu, a clinical psychology student, had paid with her life for refusing her stepfather, Nathan Owens, 34.

The court has heard that Owens was motivated by sexual jealousy after learning Georgescu planned to meet a man she had been romantically involved with online. This allegedly followed his escalating fascination with Georgescu, including having sex with a life-sized effigy clothed in her nightdress.

A day before Georgescu was scheduled to travel to Romania to meet her online boyfriend, Owens reportedly drove over 100 miles from the family home in Hartlepool to her university accommodation in Preston. CCTV footage showed Georgescu letting Owens into Ribble Hall, her student flat, around 4 a.m. on February 4. He was seen leaving the building approximately 90 minutes later, obscuring himself with an umbrella and face mask, while wearing Georgescu's trainers and carrying two bags.

Owens then allegedly drove back to Hartlepool, stopping en route to discard items, including bedding, which later yielded traces of Georgescu's DNA.

Georgescu's mother, Janina, testified that Owens did not mention visiting their daughter when she awoke later that morning. Concern grew when Georgescu did not respond to messages and calls, prompting her mother to contact university security the following day, which would have been Georgescu's 20th birthday. A welfare check revealed her body, slumped against a wardrobe door with a belt around her neck. Initially, police suspected suicide, but Owens's alleged deceit about his movements that night raised suspicions.

Owens has declined to give evidence in his defense, and the trial judge informed the jury they were entitled to hold his silence against him. Lumley asserted that Georgescu had "everything to live for" and was excitedly preparing for her trip to Romania. He suggested that her mother was unaware of the extent of Owens's sexual gratification derived from her daughter.

Lumley posited that Owens drove to Georgescu's flat in the early hours of February 4 because it was his "last chance to catch her before she went to Romania, to have her before anyone else could." He stated that Owens's motivation was "to satisfy his sexual needs, come what may." Addressing Owens directly, the prosecutor asked if he treated Georgescu like a doll or an effigy, and if he killed her because she "dared say no." Lumley suggested that after using a belt to stage the death as a suicide, Owens cleaned himself up and disposed of the evidence on his way home.

The defense, led by John Elvidge KC, urged the jury to consider alternative explanations, noting the lack of struggle in Georgescu's room and that medical experts could not rule out self-inflicted injuries. Elvidge also highlighted the absence of witnesses who heard a disturbance and suggested Georgescu had been "fixated" with suicide, partly due to the recent death of her natural father and past mentions of self-harm.

Before his arrest, Owens claimed he went to Preston because Georgescu needed incontinence pants and help tidying her room. However, the prosecution argued this was an attempt to cover his tracks and keep his wife unaware of the true events. The prosecution alleges Owens had become "sexually fixated" with Georgescu, taking photos of her without her knowledge, filming himself with her dolls and toys, and manipulating images of her.

Owens denies charges of murder and grievous bodily harm with intent. The trial continues.