In police footage of the pursuit of Xena Georgiou, one officer can be heard saying “what’s she doing?”.

06:02, 08 Apr 2025Updated 06:25, 08 Apr 2025

Xena Georgiou Xena Georgiou (Image: MEN)

A ‘happy and generous’ 20-year-old woman who suddenly sped away from a routine police stop died after crashing her new BMW into a parked car, an inquest has heard.

Xena Georgiou, from Wythenshawe, was rushed to hospital following a police pursuit on December 3, 2023. Despite the best efforts of medical staff, she passed away at Manchester Royal Infirmary on December 12.

Yesterday (April 7), an inquest at South Manchester Coroners Court heard how Xena had been riding around in the car with “close friend” Yasmin Tanker, who sat in the passenger seat, and Jake Bosquet, who was a friend of Tanker.

Both suffered “significant injuries” in the crash. Bosquet was left in hospital for two weeks and suffered “memory loss”, an inquest jury was told.

The inquest heard how Xena was the driver of a black BMW One Series that she had recently bought at a police auction with the help of her mother.

Bodycam and dashcam footage recorded on the evening of December 3 was played to the court, and showed GMP officers PC Nathan Lowe and PC Stephan Bielizna carry out the traffic stop on Washway Road, Sale.

They had been patrolling the area and spotted that the car Xena was driving had no insurance and was registered outside of Manchester.

The scene in Marsland Road in SaleThe scene in Marsland Road in Sale(Image: MEN Media)

Footage showed “around five minutes” of conversation, in which Xena gave the insurance details of her mother, who had placed temporary insurance coverage on the vehicle in the past.

PC Lowe told the court that after attempting to find the details on the police’s national system, he asked Xena to step into their vehicle where a fingerprint scan could be carried out, as “she did not look” like a woman in her 40s.

However, after a short while, the bodycam footage showed Xena suddenly driving off. A pursuit then began.

At one point, one of the officers could be heard saying “what’s she doing?”.

Police followed the BMW on several residential roads in the area, with both vehicles reaching speeds of up to “70mph”. Xena then lost control on a bend on Marsland Road at around 8.30pm, colliding with a parked car.

When asked about the risk factor of the traffic stop by assistant coroner Mr Adrian Farrow, PC Bielizna said that it felt “comfortable”.

He added: “There was nothing that I foreseen that would have led to the outcome that did.”

In a packed courtroom, members of Xena’s family were in attendance as well as representatives of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) which is conducting an investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death.

It is mandatory to refer a case to the IOPC for investigation when someone dies after conduct with police.

Xena's car was being followed by officersXena’s car was being followed by officers(Image: MEN Media)

Among the witnesses called were Xena’s mother, who was in tears when she described her daughter as an “outgoing, kind, funny, kind, loving, very generous”, and someone who would “help people even though she was struggling.”

She added that Xena “could also be fiery” and “outspoken.”

The court heard how Xena had only had the car for a week after her mother had bought it for her from a police auction in Doncaster.

She told the court how she didn’t want Xena to drive the car until it had been “checked.” as it was scheduled for a parts replacement at a local garage on December 4.

Catherine told the court that Xena had persuaded her to allow her to drive the car, but she noted that she had given her money to cover the insurance. However, she only found out that Xena didn’t until six months after the incident.

An emotional Catherine said: “When I sent the £180, I just assumed that she done it.”

Catherine added that the last time she saw Xena was during a Facetime one hour before the crash. Catherine says that Xena was “happy” eating a takeaway with her close friend Yasmin Tanker in her new car.

The inquest was led by assistant coroner Adrian Farrow and it is expected to be heard over four days to give the jury time to reflect on the evidence.