Murder-accused stepdad declines to give evidence
Lancashire PoliceThis article contains distressing details
A man accused of murdering his stepdaughter at her university flat has declined to give evidence at his trial.
Nathan Owens, 34 and from Hartlepool, is accused of killing Carla Georgescu in the 19-year-old's room at her hall of residence in Preston in February.
Prosecutors closed their case at Preston Crown Court on Monday, but Owens, who denies murder, said he would not be taking to the witness box or offer any other testimony.
The trial previously heard Owens had secretly taken photographs of Carla and superimposed her face on to naked pornographic images of women.
Carla's body was found hanging in her room at Ribble Hall on 5 February, jurors have heard.
The court has seen CCTV footage of Owens having a meal with Carla in the days before she died and him going to her flat in the early hours of 4 February wrapped in a blanket.
Lancashire PoliceCarla let him into the building at about 04:00 GMT and he left an hour and a half later, the court heard.
Neither the red pyjama bottoms Carla was wearing when she went to the door nor the teenager's grey trainers which Owens was seen in when he left the flat have been found, the court heard in the final submissions from prosecutors.
Her laptop was disconnected from her home's WiFi at 05:19 and has also never been recovered, the court heard.
After the prosecution closed their case and a pause over lunchtime during which Owens spoke to his legal team, his barrister John Elvidge KC said the defence would "not call any evidence".
The judge, Mr Justice Jacobs, asked Elvidge if Owens had been told jurors could "draw such inferences as appear proper" from the defendant's "failure" to give evidence.
Elvidge confirmed Owens, of Hopps Street, had been so advised.
Lancashire PoliceA number of items from Carla's room, including a bed sheet, sex toy and socks were found dumped beside a main road near Tebay in Cumbria, which would have been one of the routes Owens could have used to get home, jurors have heard.
On Owens' laptop, officers found hundreds of pictures of Carla including many which had been sexualised, the court heard.
Owens had also taken a selfie of himself wearing Carla's nightie and filmed himself having intercourse with an effigy adorned with her clothes, jurors have heard, as well as making other recordings of himself performing sex acts with stuffed toys.
He also had many images of women wearing nappies, with Carla known to wear adult incontinence aids, jurors were told.
His DNA was found on the floor and blanket in Carla's room as well as on swabs taken from her body, the court previously heard.
The trial continues.
