Nathan Owens, 34, is accused of murdering his stepdaughter Carla Georgescu, a 19-year-old university student at the University of Lancashire, after driving over 100 miles from Hartlepool to her campus accommodation and allegedly strangling her. Prosecutors claim Owens' actions were motivated by sexual jealousy when he learned Carla planned to meet someone she was romantically involved with online. CCTV footage shows Carla letting Owens into her halls at around 4am on February 4, 2026, with his face covered by a blanket; he is seen leaving an hour and a half later in Carla’s clothing, reportedly carrying two bags.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-10,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Carla Georgescu, a 19-year-old university student originally from Romania studying clinical psychology at University of Lancashire in Preston, was murdered by her stepfather Nathan Owens, who is accused of driving over 100 miles overnight from Hartlepool to strangle her. Carla's body was discovered on February 5, her 20th birthday, inside Ribble Hall, a student accommodation block at the university campus. The prosecution claims that Owens developed a dangerous sexual obsession with Carla after marrying her mother Janina and had allegedly sexually fixated himself on an effigy of his stepdaughter dressed in her nightdress. Owens is said to have arrived at Ribble Hall around 4am, concealing his face under a blanket, where he was let into the building by Carla before allegedly attacking her. Her death occurred after her mother raised concerns over Carla's unresponsiveness and alerted university security.
Written for “Stepfather Kills Stepdaughter At Univ…” on 2026-10-10,
grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.
This is the moment a 19-year-old university student lets her ‘sexually obsessed' stepfather into her campus accommodation with his head hidden by a blanket before he allegedly strangled her.
uncertain
he → let → her
Nathan Owens, 34, is accused of murdering his stepdaughter Carla Georgescu after driving more than 100 miles through the night to her student halls.
asserted
Owens → accuse → halls
Prosecutors claim his actions were driven by 'sexual jealousy' after learning the second-year clinical psychology student planned to meet a man she had been romantically involved with online.
uncertain
she → claim → man
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 were told.
asserted
jurors → escalate → trial
Footage played at Preston Crown Court shows Carla – wearing a fluffy dressing gown and pyjamas – letting Owens into Ribble Hall, her block of student flats at the University of Lancashire campus in Preston, at around 4am on February 4, his head hidden by a patterned blanket.
asserted
head → play → blanket
Owens had driven from the family home in Hartlepool, County Durham, without telling his sleeping wife Janina, Carla's mother.
asserted
Owens → drive → wife
He gave Carla a false story about her mother having left her purse there when they joined her for an early birthday meal three days earlier, prosecutors say.
asserted
prosecutors → give → meal
In the footage, Owens glances towards the camera before she takes him up to her room.
asserted
she → glance → room
Carla Georgescu, 19, a second year clinical psychology student at the University of Lancashire, was allegedly strangled and murdered by her stepfather Nathan Owens
Carla Georgescu, in a fluffy dressing gown, caught on CCTV letting her stepfather Nathan Owens, 34, into her university accommodation in Preston at around 4am on February 4, 2026, with his face covered by a blanket
Owens captured leaving the building 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.
uncertain
Owens → strangle → bags
Her body was found the following day after her mother Janina called the university
He was captured leaving the building 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.
asserted
He → find → bags
Owens then drove back home, allegedly stopping en route to dump items including bedding later found to contain traces of Carla’s DNA.
uncertain
Owens → drive → DNA
His wife told jurors on Wednesday he did not mention having been to see Carla in the night when she awoke later that morning.
asserted
she → tell → night
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.
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 → become → 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.
But the prosecution say this was an attempt to 'cover his tracks' and 'keep his wife onside'.
asserted
this → claim → wife
Preston Crown Court was also shown footage of Owens allegedly walking towards the block of student flats with a patterned blanket over his head shortly before his stepdaughter was 'murdered'
uncertain
stepdaughter → show → head
Carla's body was found at her University of Lancashire accommodation, Ribble Hall in Preston, on February 5 after her mother raised the alarm
She had last seen her Romania-born daughter three days before her death during an early birthday celebration at a Korean restaurant in 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.
asserted
Carla → find → time
They were later joined by Owens, who came by car.
asserted
who → join → car
But the prosecution allege he returned to Carla's flat in the early hours of February 4, without telling his wife.
asserted
he → allege → wife
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
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 → ?
The Aporia
