‘Sexually obsessed’ stepfather accused of murdering student, 19, asked if he treated her ‘like one of your effigies’ and she ‘paid’ for saying ‘No’

Nathan Owens is on trial accused of murdering his 19-year-old stepdaughter, Carla Georgescu, at her university accommodation in Preston. Prosecutors say he acted out of sexual jealousy after learning she planned to meet an online boyfriend in Romania, and that she was killed after rejecting his advances.

The court heard that Owens drove more than 100 miles from Hartlepool and was filmed entering Carla’s student block at about 4am on 4 February 2026, then leaving around 90 minutes later in her trainers, carrying bags and disguising his face. Carla’s body was found the next day, on what would have been her 20th birthday; prosecutors say she was strangled with a belt. Owens has not given evidence, and the judge told jurors they may take his silence into account.