Nathan Owens, 34, is accused of murdering his stepdaughter Carla Georgescu, a 19-year-old university student at the University of Lancashire. Prosecutors allege that Owens was motivated by sexual jealousy when he discovered Carla was planning to meet an online boyfriend in Romania. Footage shows Owens arriving at Ribble Hall, where Carla lived, early on February 4 with his head covered by a blanket before allegedly killing her. He returned home without informing his wife and later claimed he had helped Carla with personal items, which prosecutors say is an attempt to cover up the murder.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-08,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
This is the moment a 19-year-old university student’s ‘sexually obsessed’ stepfather arrives at her campus accommodation with his head hidden by a blanket before allegedly strangling her.
uncertain
head → obsess → her
Nathan Owens, 34, is accused of having driven through the night before murdering Carla Georgescu at Ribble Hall, a block of student flats at the University of Lancashire campus in Preston.
asserted
Owens → accuse → Preston
He may have been motivated by 'sexual jealousy' after discovering the second year clinical psychology student was about to meet up with a man with whom she had struck up a romantic online relationship, prosecutors allege.
uncertain
prosecutors → motivate → relationship
Owens’ 'escalating fascination' with Carla included having sex with a life-sized 'effigy' of his teenage stepdaughter which he had clothed in her nightdress, jurors at his murder trial have been told.
asserted
jurors → escalate → trial
Preston Crown Court was today shown footage of him parking his Ford Puma car near her accommodation at around 4am on February 4 after driving from the family home in Hartlepool without telling his sleeping wife, Carla's mother.
asserted
him → show → wife
Owens, who is alone, then walks towards the foyer of the block with a patterned blanket over his head.
asserted
who → walk → head
He was again filmed as he left around an hour and a half later, ‘shielding’ himself with an umbrella and wearing a face-mask while wearing Carla’s trainers and carrying two bags, the court has heard.
asserted
court → film → bags
Owens then drove back to Hartlepool where his wife Janina yesterday told jurors he made no mention of having been to see Carla in the night.
asserted
he → drive → night
Carla Georgescu, 19, a second year clinical psychology student at the University of Lancashire, was allegedly strangled and murdered by her stepfather Nathan Owens
Preston Crown Court was today shown footage of Owen walking towards the block of student flats with a patterned blanket over his head
She became worried when Carla did not respond to her messages and phone calls, and the following day – which would have been Carla’s 20th birthday – she contacted university security.
uncertain
she → strangle → security
They carried out a welfare check and discovered her body slumped against a wardrobe door with a belt around her neck, initially believing she had hanged herself.
asserted
she → carry → herself
It was only after police had told the couple of the tragic discovery that Owens spoke to Ms Georgescu about his late-night trip to Preston, the court has heard.
asserted
court → tell → Preston
He claimed Carla had wanted him to take incontinence pants to her and help her tidy her room.
asserted
her → claim → room
But the prosecution say this was an attempt to 'cover his tracks' and 'keep his wife onside'.
asserted
this → say → wife
She had last seen her Romania-born daughter three days before her death during an early birthday celebration at a Korean restaurant in Preston.
asserted
She → see → Preston
Ms Georgescu had travelled from Hartlepool by train for the meal on February 1 as Carla was due to travel to Romania on her birthday to meet her online boyfriend for the first time.
They were later joined by Owens, who came by car.
asserted
who → travel → car
Owen was also seen parking up his Ford Puma near Carla's accommodation at around 4am on February 4 after driving from the family home in Hartlepool
Carla's body was found at her University of Lancashire accommodation, Ribble Hall in Preston, on February 5 after her mother raised the alarm
Further footage shown to the jury today shows Owens and Carla both staring at their phones after being left alone at the table during dinner.
asserted
Owens → see → dinner
Owens later drove home to Hartlepool with Ms Georgescu.
asserted
Owens → drive → Georgescu
But the prosecution allege he returned to Carla’s flat in the early hours of February 4, without telling his wife, after giving the teenager a story about having to collect her mother’s purse.
asserted
he → allege → purse
He allegedly then brutally attacked Carla before fleeing the scene, dumping evidence and attempting to cover his tracks.
uncertain
He → attack → tracks
Owens, whose DNA was found at the scene, was arrested the day after her body was found.
asserted
body → find → scene
Also today the jury heard how Carla had battled depression after arriving in the UK when she was 12.
asserted
she → hear → UK
She had also endured pain for some years due to suffering from endometriosis, abnormal tissue growth around the womb.
asserted
She → endure → womb
In the month before she died, she had accessed NHS mental health services and answered ‘yes’ when asked in an online triage questionnaire if she was thinking about ending her life.
But when contacted by a doctor and asked if she was suicidal, she said she was ‘OK now’ and was advised to consult her GP so she could be treated for her depression.
uncertain
she → die → depression
The prosecution allege that Owens had become ‘sexually fixated’ with Carla and her death was the culmination of weeks, months and perhaps years of a ‘one-sided sexual obsession’.
asserted
death → allege → obsession
He is said to have taken photos of Carla without her knowledge, filmed himself having sex with her dolls and toys, one of which was a life-sized ‘effigy’ that he had clothed in her nightdress, and manipulated an innocent image of her so it appeared sexual.
asserted
it → say → her
Owens also allegedly made videos of him using sex toys and accessed further images of Carla ‘deriving sexual satisfaction’ from them.
uncertain
him → make → them
He denies charges of murder, intentional strangulation, and grievous bodily harm with intent.
asserted
He → deny → intent
The trial continues.
asserted
trial → continue → ?
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