Man found guilty of murdering stepdaughter in Preston
Nathan Owens travelled from Hartlepool to kill Carla Georgescu on her 20th birthday
A man has been found guilty of murdering his stepdaughter in Preston, after a jury heard he had harboured a secret sexual obsession with her.
Carla Georgescu was found dead in her student accommodation on her 20th birthday, after 34-year-old Nathan Owens, of no fixed abode and formerly of Hartlepool, travelled to Preston to kill her.
Carla was studying Clinical Psychology as an undergraduate and had planned to take post-graduate studies in Romania, according to police. She was described by a professional as "intelligent, gentle and articulate".
What happened
The weekend before she was killed, Carla's mum travelled to Preston to stay with her, and the pair shopped together, went for dinner and stayed in Carla's halls.
Owens travelled from the family's home in Hartlepool to join them, and the three went out for dinner to celebrate Carla's upcoming birthday, police said.
Unknown to Carla or her mum, Owens had harboured a sexual obsession with her, according to police. He had doctored childhood photographs of her to create indecent images, photographed her without her knowledge in their home, and filmed himself carrying out sexual acts, on occasion in Carla's bedroom.
In the early hours of 4th November, Owens travelled to Preston again without telling Carla's mum where he was going.
He messaged Carla, falsely claiming he was coming to collect a purse her mum had left behind, police said.
He parked in a side street rather than his usual space at the halls, covered his head with a blanket, and was let into the building by Carla, who still believed he had come for the purse. CCTV of her letting him in was the last time she was seen alive.
Owens followed Carla to her room, where he subjected her to a violent and sexual assault and killed her, before staging the scene to look like she had taken her own life, according to police.
Officers who first attended the scene became concerned about the circumstances and launched further enquiries, police said.
The investigation
After killing Carla, Owens left the halls by a different route, covering his face with a mask, carrying bags of evidence and wearing her shoes, according to police. He disposed of evidence on his way home and returned as though nothing had happened.
Officers visited Owens' home to tell him and Carla's mum of her death, and separately asked him why he had been caught on CCTV at the halls at four in the morning. He told them he had been there to pick his wife up after she had been visiting, police said.
Owens then made internet searches including "i think the police think im guilty", according to police, before detectives returned to arrest him on suspicion of Carla's murder.
In interview, Owens gave only a brief denial that he had anything to do with her death, police said.
The charges and trial
Following consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service, Owens was charged with murder, assault causing grievous bodily harm and intentional strangulation. He was later also charged with two counts of making and taking an indecent photograph of a child, with Carla named as the victim of all the charges.
Owens pleaded not guilty to murder and did not give evidence during the trial. He had previously admitted the charges relating to indecent photographs of a child.
A jury today found him guilty of Carla's murder. He is due to be sentenced tomorrow, 23rd October.
Reaction
Detective Inspector Pete Macdonald, of the force's Major Investigation Team, said: "Carla was a young woman with her whole life ahead of her, a life that was taken away by someone she should have been able to trust."
"Owens had a despicable, perverted sexual obsession with his stepdaughter, an obsession that ended with him killing her. He has now been brought to justice for his crimes," DI Macdonald said.
"I thank the jury for returning a guilty verdict, as well as the prosecution counsel, Nicholas Lumley K.C, Adam Birkby, Barrister, my investigation team and the Crown Prosecution Service for all of their efforts to obtain justice for Carla," DI Macdonald said.
"No verdict brings Carla back, but I hope that her mum and the rest of her loved ones can feel some sense of justice that the man responsible for taking her future away has been brought to justice," DI Macdonald said.