LETTER TO MEXICO

President Felipe Calderon
Residencia Oficial de los Pinos
Casa Miguel Alemán
Col. San Miguel Chapultepec,
C.P. 11850, Distrito Federal, México

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Dear President Calderon,

Kirsty MacColl, the highly talented and respected singer-songwriter was killed by a speedboat while scuba diving with her two sons in Cozumel, México in December 2000. She was 41 years old. The full details of the tragedy and the campaign are on our web site, www.justiceforkirsty.org.

The high-powered speedboat, the Percalito, is owned and captained by supermarket multi millionaire Guillermo Gonzalez Nova, who was on board with his two sons and grand children at the time when the boat killed Kirsty.
The Percalito was in an area designated as a National Maritime Park, where scuba divers and their support boats & crew are welcome from around the world. All other powered boats - including speedboats - are excluded. Witnesses said the Percalito was travelling at up to 20 knots.

Gonzalez Nova claims he gave permission to a deckhand, Jose Cen Yam, to drive the boat despite the fact that this person was not qualified and had not driven the boat before. Cen Yam was said to be at the controls of the Percalito when it killed Kirsty, but a witness states he was at the rear of the boat!
In court, Cen Yam confessed that:

He was confused between his right and left hands.
He didn't know what a 'knot' meant in terms of speed.
Someone was leaning over his windscreen and blocking his view at the time of the accident.

Kirsty was killed by the speedboat's propeller as she and her sons surfaced from the five. One of her sons was also injured but no one offered any assistance! After two years, Cen Yam was found guilty of culpable homicide and fined £61 with £1,460 damages awarded to Kirsty's sons. Cen Yam has never been to jail, and remains at liberty.

Was Kirsty's life only worth £61?

We believe the person who carries the greatest culpability is the captain Gonzalez Nova who has never been charged, not even with perjury or perverting the course of justice.

WEALTH + POWER + CORRUPTION = IMPUNITY

For over three years President Fox and the Méxican Attorney General repeatedly promised justice, but all we have ever experienced is delay after delay, obstruction and corruption - despite the full support of the British Government.

As we enter our eight year of calling for Justice we hope that a proper resolution will be achieved this year.
This is a campaign for justice that Kirsty's family has to fund.

Having heard of the tragic death of Kirsty MacColl, I call upon the Méxican authorities to:

• Implement an immediate and thorough judicial review of the case to determine who really killed Kirsty MacColl
• Put an end to the years of broken promises of the Fox administration
• Investigate why Gonzalez Nova as captain of the vessel has not been charged and brought to trial, not even for perjury
• Ensure that those found responsible are punished according to the gravity of the offences - no more token fines and sentences
• Guarantee local authorities implement meaningful controls to ensure the safety of all drivers in restricted areas

Yours faithfully

Name ............................................................................................................

Address .........................................................................................................

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Signed ............................................................................................................