Stepdad drove 100 miles through the night to strangle 'sexually obsessed' murder trial hears

From the Newshound archive · first published 9 October 2026 · last updated 11 October 2026.

Nathan Owens, 34, is on trial for murdering Carla Georgescu, 19, a clinical psychology student at the University of Lancashire, after prosecutors told Preston Crown Court he drove through the night from Hartlepool to her Preston halls on February 4. CCTV footage shown to jurors captures Carla letting Owens into Ribble Hall at 4am, his face hidden beneath a blanket, moments before she was strangled in what prosecutors call a sexually motivated killing.

Owens allegedly created a life-sized 'effigy' of Carla clothed in her own nightdress to satisfy his sexual fixation with her.

He used a false story — claiming her mother had left a purse behind at a birthday meal — to gain entry to her room.

Carla's hands were covered in blood from trying to fight him off; Owens fled wearing her trainers and a face mask.