On this day, we remember the tragic loss of Kirsty MacColl, who was struck by a speedboat 25 years ago while swimming in the Caribbean with her two sons, just days before Christmas.

The iconic voice behind “Fairytale of New York,” MacColl was enjoying a holiday with her sons, Jamie and Louis, then 15 and 14, near the idyllic island of Cozumel, Mexico. The joyous trip turned into a nightmare on December 18, 2000, as her sons witnessed their mother’s untimely death.

In a heroic act, MacColl managed to push her children out of harm’s way as the vessel sped toward them, sacrificing her own life as she was fatally struck by the boat’s propellers.

Reflecting on the incident, her former husband, Steve Lillywhite, who is also the father of her sons, has pointed fingers at billionaire Guillermo González Nova. Nova, one of Mexico’s wealthiest individuals at the time, owned the 31-foot speedboat involved in the accident.

Critically, González Nova was aboard the vessel and was the sole individual licensed to operate it, adding layers of complexity and tragedy to the incident.

The Mexican supermarket tycoon, a billionaire who died in 2009, was accused of paying deckhand José Cen Yam, then 26, to be the ‘fall guy’ for the crash. There were claims Cen Yam had later drunkenly told friends he took the blame on the promise of cash and a house on Cozumel, where his boss had a holiday home.

Incredibly Cen Yam avoided jail for culpable homicide by paying a $90 (£61) fine, despite being held responsible for Kirsty’s death. 

Mr Lillywhite said today that ‘no one believes’ that he was driving the boat and that Guillermo González Nova orchestrated a cover-up to prevent himself facing an expensive lawsuit from Kirsty’s bereaved family.

González Nova was president of Comercial Mexicana, the third largest supermarket chain in Mexico. On board the boat with him at the time were two of his sons, his daughter-in-law, his 11-month-old granddaughter and José Cen Yam.

Steve Lillywhite has spoken out about the alleged conspiracy as he releases a new version of Kirsty’s smash Christmas hit with Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan – who died this time two years ago. He has mixed the new track.

Kirsty MacColl, right, pictured with then husband Steve Lillywhite. Her ex has cast new doubts on the official story given for her death, saying a Mexican billionaire was probably responsible

Her ex-husband, now 70, suggested the tragedy could be traced back to billionaire Mexican businessman Guillermo González Nova, pictured, who owned the boat

The singer pictured with Shane MacGowan while promoting their Christmas hit Fairytale of New York circa 1987. Steve’s comments come as he releases a re-recording of the song

He told The Sun: ‘They said that it was a young kid driving, but no one believes that.

‘I think they just didn’t want to have an enormous lawsuit because he was one of the richest guys in Mexico.’

One of Nova’s employees, Jose Cen Yam, who was aged 26 at the time, claimed he was driving the powerful vehicle, even though he did not possess a licence for it.

He told a court he was only driving at one knot (around one mph), just a quarter of the speed limit on those waters.

Yam added that Kirsty had swam outside the protected zone when she and son Jamie, who was surfacing from a scuba dive, were struck by the boat.

The alleged perpetrator got away with a fine of just £61, an amount which spared him a two years-and-10-months jail sentence handed down after he was convicted of culpable homicide in 2003.

The singer’s elderly mother Jean Newlove set up a Justice for Kirsty campaign, supported by friends including U2 icon Bono.

The group set about trying to organise judicial appeals by hiring private detectives to investigate the case.

They discovered that had the driver been travelling at one knot then divers would have been able to push the boat out of the way.

After billionaire Nova died in 2009 aged 92, Jean gave up the official campaign probing her daughter’s death.

Both the couple’s sons, Jamie and Louis, pictured, were in the sea at the time of their mother’s tragic death in 2000

Steve immediately raced to Mexico from the United States when he heard the news about his ex Kirsty, with whom he had separated in 1997.

Promoting the new recording of Fairytale Of New York, which shot to number two in the charts in 1987, he reflected on a time of year which is still tough for him and the children.

The six-time Grammy winner admitted that Kirsty’s festive hit still reminds him of his former partner, who died at this time of year. 

‘It’s a bittersweet feeling because when you hear Fairytale, it does give you a good feeling,’ he said. ‘It makes you think of Christmas and everything.’

The pair had tied the knot in 1984, three years after Kirsty’s breakthrough hit There’s a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He’s Elvis.

Kirsty had travelled to Cozumel for a holiday after presenting a BBC radio show in Cuba.

She would have expected to be safe in the scuba diving area, given that speedboats were banned from that specific zone.

Kirsty pictured with her two sons and mother Jean, who ran the Justice for Kirsty campaign investigating the star’s death

Jamie received minor injuries, his oxygen tank taking the worst of the impact, while Louis was physically unscathed.

Also there was Kirsty’s then-boyfriend James Knight, much younger than her at 26, and Steve reflected on how tough a time this would have been for the young musician, especially given the public attention.

People have long questioned whether business giant Nova had been driving the boat and, despite giving up the campaign in 2009, mother Jean vowed to capitalise on any new developments that might arise. She later died aged 94 in 2017.

Steve admitted that the family has had to learn to accept the frustrating ruling and expressed his hope that if anyone was saved by the awareness raised by the campaign then it was worth it.