‘It was so graphic’: Son of Kirsty MacColl speaks out 25 years after fatal speedboat accident

The singer, who died a week before Christmas in 2000, was surfacing from a scuba dive off the coast of Mexico when she was run over by a speedboat

Louis Lillywhite was just 14 when his mother, Kirsty MacColl – who dueted on the ‘Fairytale of New York’ hit with Pogues singer Shane MacGowan – was killed in a horrific speedboat accident.

The singer, who died a week before Christmas in 2000, was surfacing from a scuba dive off the coast of Mexico with her two sons, Louis, who was 14, and Jamie, then 15.

Ms MacColl died instantly after being run over by the speedboat, which was travelling quickly through the protected marine area over the reef where they had been diving.

Now 39, Kirsty’s youngest son, Louis, described the impact the tragedy has on his life and the panic of the moments after the incident.

“It was such a traumatic thing and a lot of what happened is still a blur to me.

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Kirsty MacColl was killed in a speedboat accident in 2000. Pictured here in about 1989.

Picture:
Alamy

“What I can say is it was really grim. I can’t remember the exact details of that trip to Mexico but I can remember being in the water and thinking, ‘Where’s Jamie?’

He and I have spoken about it from time to time and I still have flashbacks. It was and is so graphic. We could only have been in the water a few minutes afterwards before they got us out. I don’t really remember too much.”

Now a former restaurant owner living in London, Louis said the trauma led him to try therapy as he hit his twenties.

“When you are a 14-year-old boy, you don’t want to talk to a stranger about the worst thing that has happened to you,” he said.

“Later on though, in my 20s, I was seeing patterns of behaviour in myself and decided I should try it. I have had a lot of therapy since and that has helped.”

Jamie suffered minor injuries after his oxygen tank was clipped, but the boys’ mother, who was struck by the boat’s propeller, died instantly from the significant head and chest injuries.

Shane McGowan and the Pogues performing at the Orpheum Theater in Boston – Kirsty MacColl was known for her duet on the Christmas hit ‘Fairytale of New York’ with Pogues singer Shane MacGowan.

Picture:
Alamy

The singer was peak of her career, following the release of her acclaimed album, Tropical Brainstorm.

Louis also said that he has attempted to conquer his fears of the sea in the years following the incident, as he found it very difficult being in the water after the traumatic incident.

“Mum really loved the sea and she would have been gutted if I was missing out on a beautiful thing.”

Louis’ father and the singer’s ex-husband, Steve Lillywhite, was living in New York with his second wife when he heard about the accident from Kirsty’s then-boyfriend, musician James Knight.

“It was such a massive shock,” he said, speaking to the Mirror.

The former record producer described his struggle to get to Mexico from New York to be with his sons, saying he had to use Chris Blackwell, who owned Island Records at the time, to fly him on his private jet as there were no commercial flights.

“When I went into the hotel room, the boys and James, who was only 26 and closer to their age than mine, were sitting on the bed watching cartoons – no tears, just totally in shock. It is so horrendous to imagine what they witnessed that day and they have never really spoken to me about what they saw.”

Following the death of his mother, the teenage boys were raised by James and their father, Steve.

Louis praised them both for their efforts, calling James “a good bloke” and saying they still meet up in London and sometimes spend Christmas together.

The boat that killed Kirsty belonged to the family of wealthy Mexican businessman, and owner of Comercial Mexicana supermarket chain, Guillermo González Nova.

An employee of Mr Nova, 26-year-old José Cen Yam, stated that he was driving the boat at a slow speed at the time of the incident, and was convicted of culpable homicide.

He was sentenced to just two years and 10 months in prison, but ultimately evaded jail time by paying a small fine of just £61.

MacColl’s family have been vocally critical of the verdict, calling Yam a “fall guy” and saying “no one was really held accountable for what happened”.

They referred to eyewitnesses statements which contradicted Yam’s claim of being at the helm, and claiming the boat had been driven much faster than admitted.

Louis said they had “spent many years as a family trying to get justice” and said he is glad even if their work had “saved just one person.

“I am happy about that, but what we would have liked was some accountability.

“It was never about money, it was about someone taking responsibility.”

The legal action of their “Justice for Kirsty” campaign was suspended last year after they had exhausted all viable avenues for appeal within the Mexican justice system.