NEARLY a decade after singer Kirsty MacColl was killed scuba-diving in Mexico, friends and family behind the 'Justice for Kirsty' campaign are ending their fight to find her killer.

The singer song-writer, best known for her collaboration with the Pogues in 1987 for the Christmas hit 'Fairytale of New York', was killed by a speedboat which entered a restricted area reserved for scuba-divers in Cozumel on December 18 2000.

The 41-year-old who lived in Ealing bravely sacrificed her own life to save her teenage son who was in the path of the Percalito speedboat.

But after nine-long years campaigning for justice to bring down a wealthy Mexican businessman who was on board and who relatives believe was driving the boat, the family have been told by lawyers the Mexican Government are closing the case.

Kirsty's 86-year-old mother Jean MacColl, who lives in Woodville Gardens, Ealing, said: "The Mexican Government wants to close the case; they are not prepared to really go into the case again which we feel they should do as a lot of errors have come to light over the years. They feel everyone who has given a testimony has not thrown any new light on the case.

"We know the man who claimed he was driving the boat wasn't actually driving the boat but people are too frightened to come forward.

"All we have ever asked for is the truth of how the accident happened or some sort of an apology but we have received neither and it's far too late. It has been draining over the last nine years but this is what you do for your loved ones and we have achieved most of our aims.

"If there is any chance of new evidence we would be back on the case as we've never been able to let this go."

Mrs MacColl said the remaining money raised for the campaign, around £12,000 will be donated to her daughter's two charities, Casa Alianza Mexico, which provides care and rehabilitation for homeless children in Mexico and the Cuba Music Solidarity to provide Cuban instruments.

The family are also hoping to set up a memorial in Kirsty's memory at the site of the accident and Mrs MacColl is now joining with international corporations to raise awareness of the high number of accidents and deaths abroad.

For more information, visit http://www.justiceforkirsty.org/