‘Death-crash trial accused screamed in victim’s face’, court is told
AWOMAN accused of causing death by dangerous driving screamed in her alleged victim’s face and made rude gestures as she chased her, a court heard.
Cardiff Crown Court heard Melissa Pesticcio was “hostile” towards Sophie Taylor after Ms Taylor started a relationship with her ex-boyfriend, Michael Wheeler, last summer.
In a recording of a 999 call played in court, Ms Taylor’s friend, Joshua Deguara, said: “As we drove off, she [Pesticcio] was screaming in Sophie’s face through the driver’s window.”
Pesticcio, 23, denies causing death and serious injury by dangerous driving, plus two counts of dangerous driving, and is on trial.
Ms Taylor was 22 when she died in the collision, which occurred at the junction between Meteor Street and Moira Street in Adamsdown, Cardiff, at around 12.35am on August 22 last year.
Her passenger, Mr Deguara, suffered serious injuries and the court heard he spent “many months” in hospital. Giving evidence in court, Mr Deguara said his friend confided in him that she was having problems with Wheeler.
He said she took out a £6,500 loan to buy him an off-road motorbike, then he stopped contacting her – effectively “stealing” the bike.
The witness said they went to Wheeler’s home in Rumney at about 11.30pm on August 21 to talk to him about the bike. Mr Deguara said Wheeler’s father came over and shouted at them: “Get the f*** off our property.”
He told the court Wheeler phoned Pesticcio, who pulled up behind them in her white BMW One Series with Wheeler’s sister, Lisa, in the passenger seat.
The witness recalled “swearing” and “aggression”, including someone punching a rear window.
Asked how Ms Taylor reacted, he said: “She was a bit scared, upset and shaken. I was just trying to stay calm.”
The court heard Ms Taylor drove off and Mr Deguara called the police. The jury was played an extract from his 999 call. He told the call handler: “We’ve had a sort of row, basically, and we’re being chased, as we speak, by a BMW One Series.”
Mr Deguara added: “They’ve just come up next to us, shouting abuse. Sophie is quite scared of them.”
Prosecutor Matthew Cobbe read a transcript of a second call in which Mr Deguara said: “We just reported getting chased by a vehicle. We’re now being chased by two.”
The prosecutor said the call was “cut short” by a loud crash.
Asked about Pesticcio’s driving, Mr Deguara said: “She was trying to cut in front of us and making Sophie use evasive movements.”
He told the court he could not hear whether Pesticcio and Ms Wheeler were shouting abuse, as the windows were closed, but could see them making rude hand gestures.
Dr Deguara added: “She was just driving so aggressively.”
The court heard he suffered “very serious injuries” in the collision, including short-term memory loss.
Defence barrister Christopher Rees questioned the witness’s ability to remember the incident accurately.
Taxi driver Osman Jama told the court he was driving in the Newport Road area at about 12.30am on the day.
He said: “I heard cars coming up behind me at speed. I looked in my mirror and wondered what was going on.”
Asked about the manner of the driving, Mr Jama said: “They were very close to each other.”
The taxi driver said he saw two black cars and one white. He told the court the car at the back tried to catch up by driving on the wrong side of the road.
Mr Jama said the car that was overtaking “clipped” the car in front, causing it to spin.
He said: “Somewhere down Meteor Street they collided. One of them spun. The other one hit a brick wall.”
Prosecutors said Wheeler’s Vauxhall Corsa collided with Ms Taylor’s BMW, causing it to slide clockwise and crash into a residential building.
Wheeler, 22, from Harlech Road, admits causing death and serious injury by dangerous driving. Pesticcio, from Marshfield Road, denies all the charges against her.
The trial continues.