'He is truly despicable' - killer sexually obsessed with his stepdaughter is jailed for life
Carla Georgescu, 19, had her whole life ahead of her, which was ripped away by Nathan Owens, her stepfather, who was convicted of her murder and sentenced to life in prison
A man sexually obsessed with his stepdaughter has been jailed for a minimum of 35 years for her murder.
Carla Georgescu, 19, was found dead in her student flat in Preston the day before her birthday after Nathan Owens, 34, drove 100 miles through the night to kill her.
Owens hid his depravity after he married his victim’s mother, Janina, as he doctored childhood photographs of Ms Georgescu into indecent images, filmed himself carrying out sexual acts in her bedroom and with an “effigy” of her clothed in her nightdress.
He was convicted by a jury at Preston Crown Court following a two-week trial.
Sentencing him to a life term, Mr Justice Jacobs labelled Owens as “despicable” and said he had subjected his victim to a “horrific, brutal attack”.
The judge said: “The last 90 minutes of Carla’s life are too horrendous to think about.
“I am sure that she suffered both mentally and physically during a material part of that 90 minutes.”
In the early hours of February 4, Owens left his partner at their home in Hartlepool, Co Durham, to travel to Preston.
He messaged Carla, pretending that he and her mother were coming to pick up a purse her mother had left behind on their previous visit to Lancashire.
CCTV of Carla letting Owens, covered with a blanket, into her halls of residence was the last time she was seen alive.
He subjected his stepdaughter to a violent and sexual assault as he strangled her.
Owens then staged the scene to look as if Carla had taken her own life and returned home as though nothing had happened, disposing of evidence on his route.
Detectives from Lancashire Police arrested him soon afterwards but he denied any involvement in Carla’s death.
Owens chose not to give evidence at his trial.
He pleaded not guilty to the murder, which meant that Carla’s final moments and details of Owens’ crimes were played out in court. He chose not to give evidence in the trial, offering no explanation for his actions.
After a three week trial, a jury took just over three hours to unanimously find Owens guilty of all counts.
He previously admitted to the counts of making an indecent photograph of a child.
He appeared back in the dock at Preston Crown Court today, where he was sentenced to life in prison. He will have to serve a minimum of 35 years before he is eligible to apply for parole.
DI Pete Macdonald, of our Force Major Investigation Team said: “Carla had her whole life ahead of her, which was ripped away by someone she should have been able to trust. Owens has taken Carla’s life, but he has also changed her mum’s completely. He has torn apart the family he was trusted to love.
“As Carla’s stepfather, he had the unique responsibility of being welcomed into a family. He should have respected and loved Carla as his own child. He completely abused that trust, harbouring a perverted infatuation with her, before ultimately killing her.
“Owens offending ended with the worst possible outcome – the loss of Carla’s life, but the way it began is equally as disturbing. He took innocent childhood photos and made them indecent images. Because of this, Carla’s mum has not only lost her daughter but has had some of her memories of Carla’s childhood, before she met Owens, destroyed too.
“Carla was a young woman, a dedicated student who had the rest of her life to look forward to. She was happy and healthy and living a life reflective of many other 19-year-old women.
“What she didn’t know is that Owens had a disgusting sexual obsession with her, which led him to believe that if he couldn’t have her, no one could. He knew Carla was moving forward with her life, and he knew as part of that she was travelling to meet her new boyfriend, so he travelled to her halls, a place she should have felt safe, and brutally assaulted her before killing her.
“He is truly despicable.
“Nothing will bring Carla back to her mum and all those who loved her, but I hope they can take some comfort in knowing that Owens has been convicted and given a life sentence. He will rightly remain in prison for a long time.”