Nathan Owens, the man accused of murdering 19-year-old student Carla Georgescu, has chosen not to give evidence at his trial at Preston Crown Court.
Owens, 34, is alleged to have driven more than 100 miles overnight to Georgescu’s student accommodation in Preston, Lancashire, where prosecutors say he strangled her in February.
The prosecution claims his actions were driven by “sexual jealousy” after he learned that the second-year clinical psychology student planned to meet a man with whom she had been romantically involved online.
After the prosecution concluded its case on the tenth day of the trial, Owens’s barrister, John Elvidge KC, told jurors that his client would not enter the witness box.
Mr Justice Jacobs asked whether Owens had been advised that jurors were entitled to “draw such inferences that appear proper from the failure to do so”. Mr Elvidge replied: “Yes, My Lord.”
Owens sat in the glass-panelled dock wearing an unzipped light grey top over a darker grey T-shirt, with his hands clasped in front of him.
Evidence heard at the Preston murder trial
Prosecutors allege that Owens had become sexually fixated on Georgescu over weeks, months and potentially years. The jury has heard claims that he secretly photographed her, filmed himself having sex with her dolls and toys, and altered an innocent image of her to make it appear sexual.
His alleged “escalating fascination” also included having sex with a life-sized effigy of his teenage stepdaughter dressed in her nightdress, the court was told.
Security footage played during the trial showed Georgescu letting Owens into Ribble Hall, her university accommodation, at about 4am on February 4. She was wearing a fluffy dressing gown and pyjamas, while Owens’s head was concealed beneath a patterned blanket.
About an hour and a half later, he was captured leaving the building while shielding himself from cameras with an umbrella and wearing a face mask. He was also allegedly wearing Georgescu’s trainers and carrying two bags.
Owens then drove back to his home in Hartlepool. Prosecutors allege that he stopped during the journey to dispose of items, including bedding which was later found to contain traces of Georgescu’s DNA.
His wife, Janina, told jurors that Owens did not mention visiting her daughter during the night when she woke later that morning.
She became concerned when Georgescu failed to answer messages and phone calls. The following day, which would have been Georgescu’s 20th birthday, she contacted university security.
A welfare check found Georgescu’s body slumped against a wardrobe door with a belt around her neck. Officers who later attended the couple’s home on February 5 told them: “It looks like she has hung herself.”
The prosecution has also alleged that Owens searched online for information about how police investigate suspicious deaths and wiped his electronic devices hours after Georgescu’s death.
Body-worn footage played in court showed officers arriving at Owens’s home to arrest him on suspicion of murder on February 7. He appeared impassive and nodded as he was cautioned before being handcuffed.
Before his arrest, Owens told Georgescu’s mother that he had travelled to Preston because Carla wanted him to bring incontinence pants and help tidy her room. Prosecutors say that explanation was intended to “cover his tracks” and “keep his wife onside”.
Owens denies murder and grievous bodily harm with intent. A charge of intentional strangulation was withdrawn, with the judge telling jurors that it “substantially duplicates” the murder charge.
The trial was adjourned until tomorrow, when the jury is expected to hear closing speeches.
