‘VILE PAIR PREYED ON MY DAUGHTER LIKE VULTURES’
AGRIEVING mum says a couple who ran her daughter off the road had preyed on her tragic daughter “like vultures” in the weeks before she died.
Sophie Taylor, 22, from Cardiff, died after falling under the influence of manipulating Michael Wheeler, 23.
He dated her, got her to buy him a £5,800 motorbike, then dumped her and returned to lover Melissa Pesticcio, 24.
When Sophie asked for her money back Wheeler and Pesticcio – who were jailed on Friday – turned on her.
They used their cars in the ultimate act of intimidation, chasing her for three miles before Wheeler rammed her BMW and caused her to crash.
Speaking to our sister paper the Sunday Mirror, Sophie’s devastated mum Jackie broke down in tears as she recalled watching doctors turn off her “beautiful baby girl’s” life support machine last summer.
It was just a month after a blissful family holiday in Florida when Disney-obsessed Sophie was pictured beaming happily and wearing Mickey Mouse ears.
Jackie, 52, insists Wheeler and Pesticcio hounded her “princess” to her death. She said: “I think Wheeler and Pesticcio targeted my daughter.
“It was a set-up from the start. They are vile human beings.
“She had been in a really happy, long-term relationship which ended at the beginning of last year. She was heartbroken and bought a new car – a black BMW – to try to get over that heartache.
“But I’m sure that’s the moment she became the prey of these vultures.
“She put her pictures on Snapchat and they saw she had money and I’m certain they plotted to exploit her.
“That’s when Wheeler contacted her and started pestering her to go out with him. Sophie had no idea it would all go so wrong.
“I believe Pesticcio was in on it from the start. These two saw Sophie as naive and gullible, which she probably was.
“They come from a different, much more sinister and murky world to my Sophie’s.”
Soon after getting his hooks into Sophie, Wheeler persuaded her to borrow £5,800 to buy him an offroad KTM motorbike. But the day after getting the bike he dumped her and returned to Pesticcio. He crashed the machine then sold it for cash and bought a Vauxhall Corsa instead.
Weeks later, jobless Wheeler and Pesticcio – in separate cars – chased innocent Sophie through Cardiff.
The pursuit, caught on CCTV, ended with her smashing into a block of flats after Wheeler rammed her car.
Sophie suffered a brain injury and died soon afterwards. Passenger Josh Degaura, 21, had life-changing injuries. Jackie was alerted to the accident when police called after 12.30am.
She said she had been wary of Wheeler from their first meeting. She said: “Sophie told me she had met someone and was quite happy and excited. She was a real romantic and just wanted to love and be loved. She’d never imagine anyone would be so vindictive as this pair.
“But when I met him I knew something wasn’t quite right. He would never look me in the eyes. I did say ‘just be careful’ to Sophie.
“But I never knew just how much of an evil scumbag he was until after he caused her death.”
Wheeler admitted causing death by dangerous driving and dangerous driving at Cardiff Crown Court in February. He was jailed for sevenand-a-half years while Pesticcio got six-and-a-half years for the same crimes after an 11-day trial.
Wheeler also admitted intimidating a witness, while a fraud charge relating to the bike loan – which he denied – will remain on file.
But Jackie is determined Wheeler’s devious scheming should be revealed. She said: “I’ve seen the messages where he was pushing Sophie to go out and buy him the motorbike, where they get more and more insistent.
“Then he somehow managed to persuade the bike shop to change the logbook and receipt details into his name while she was outside.
“That was on the Saturday. Then he dumped her on the Sunday. What kind of low-life predator does that kind of thing?
“He’s just a pig. And all the time Pesticcio was waiting in the wings.
“Sophie clearly didn’t want to let me know because she was embarrassed and wanted to sort it out herself. But she was up against Wheeler and Pesticcio, who I’m convinced were still together during the time he was going out with Sophie.
“The judge saw through Pesticcio’s lies during the case when he got her to admit she was sleeping in the same bed as Wheeler.
“Wheeler crashed the bike and ended up in hospital that Sunday and that was why he sold it.
“I just think it’s a pity he didn’t kill himself. At least my daughter would still be alive. The accident didn’t stop him selling the bike just three days later for £2,500 less than Sophie bought it for. He went and got the Corsa he was driving in the chase with Sophie. So he killed her with her own money.
“Sophie just wanted to be loved, and mistakenly thought Wheeler was like her last boyfriend, who was wonderful. My daughter’s only crime was she was too generous, too trusting, too giving.”
The doting mum reserves even more anger for Pesticcio.
“She tried to say she wasn’t there, then changed her story when she
realised she was on CCTV.
“After causing the crash she shot off and had a smoke and tried to say she was at Starbucks. She never showed a shred of emotion during the trial.
“Pesticcio was just jealous. She clearly wanted to hurt Sophie. It’s clear from the vicious text messages she was sending around to her friends.
“She’s just as sinister as Wheeler. Maybe even more so. I think he would have ignored Sophie that night, happy he had ripped her off. But Pesticcio clearly wanted to torment her. And that’s why she is not alive today.”
Judge Thomas Crowther QC said the jailed pair displayed “a jealous rage” and said of the chase: “This resembles nothing more than a pack chasing its prey.”
And he told Wheeler: “I think you used Miss Taylor as a line of credit.”
The Independent Police Complaints Commission is investigating the 24-minute 999 call made by Sophie’s passenger Josh.
CCTV shows the three cars – Sophie’s black BMW, Pesticcio’s white BMW and Wheeler’s black Corsa – in a line at the height of the chase.
Jackie claimed: “It’s astounding the police didn’t send a patrol car out. My daughter would still be alive if they had. Hearing the crash captured on the second call will haunt me forever.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family pay for a fitting headstone for Sophie. Visit gofundme.com/k7q6ub