Kirsty was an english singer/songwriter who scored some success in the eighties, most notebaly the sone "they don't know". She also sang with The Talking Heads, the Pogues and the Smiths.  On December 18 2000 Kirsty, her partner and her son were vactioning in Cozumel Mexico.  While scuba diving in a restricted area and on returning to the surface, a powerboat was seen travelling towards the group. Kirsty saw the boat headed towards her son and she pushed him out of the way (he did graze the boat hitting his head and shoulder but causing no injury. Kirsty was not so lucky as the boat struck her dead on and she was killed instantly.
Here are the basic facts:

The powerboat (belonging to a the chairman of a large Méxican company) had apparently been travelling too fast in a National Park which bans such boats.  An inexperienced boathand (Cen Yam) was charged with causing her death and found guilty of negligent homicide (subject to confirmation by a judge), which carries a sentence of up to seven years.The owner, Guillermo González Nova, and his family were on board, and claimed it was the boathand, Cen Yam, at the controls, and that they were outside the restricted area travelling at no more than one knot.  Witnesses said the boat was moving at high speed inside the National Park, its bow riding clear of the water. Kirsty would have died instantly. Jamie was struck on the head and side, without suffering serious injury. The boathand's job was to carry out maintenance - he did not have a licence for such a powerful boat, and had never taken its helm before. Though he claimed to have taken a seaman's course he was unable to answer basic questions. The boat owner did not have the right powerboat licence either. Port authority investigators found the dive boat had been flying a flag, but it did not conform to international regulations. It should also have had another crew member on board, and should have put out a marker buoy. However the ruling was that the powerboat had been in the prohibited area, the pilot had been negligent and violated navigation laws and the owner should not have let him take the controls.

Jean believes the person who carries the greatest culpability is the owner, who was not charged.

 Justice for Kirsty Web Site