Three sisters who drowned off Brighton beach took their own lives, inquest finds

Three sisters who drowned in the sea off Brighton beach took their own lives, a coroner has ruled.

Jane Adetoro, 36, Christina Walters, 32, and Rebecca Walters, 31, had been living together in Greenford, west London, before they died on 13 May.

The inquest in Brighton heard details of the sisters’ final days, which began with a journey to the Midlands. On 11 May, they travelled to an area of Birmingham near to where their mother had drowned 14 years earlier, in 2010. From there, they took a taxi to the Sussex coast, arriving in Brighton at 10.21pm on 12 May. They were last seen alive on the seafront at 2.42am the following morning.

Senior coroner Penelope Schofield said the sisters faced rough sea conditions when they entered the water, and none of them were able to swim.

A police investigation later uncovered evidence of their intentions. Detective Chief Inspector Mark Cullimore told the court that officers had searched Christina’s laptop and found 227 search references to water, alongside 179 references to suicide.

The sisters’ medical histories suggested they lived on the margins of the healthcare system. The court heard that Christina had been suffering from anxiety and depression since her mother’s death, but Rebecca’s medical records contained nothing of note, and Jane was not registered with a GP at all. Toxicology tests showed that none of the sisters had taken drugs or alcohol before entering the water.

The coroner stressed that the full story of why they chose to end their lives might never be understood. "These three sisters lived very secluded lives, they were incredibly private," Ms Schofield said. "We don't know why they took this course of action or indeed why they chose to do it in Brighton. It is not for the court to speculate and sadly these reasons may never be known."

Their father, Joseph Jacobsen, followed the inquest via a video link. In a statement read to the court on his behalf, he described his daughters as beautiful, intelligent women who had a special place in his heart.

"There are no words that can adequately express the pain of losing a child," his statement said. "To lose all three of my precious daughters is heartbreaking."

He said he could not understand why their lives had ended so suddenly, but hoped they were now reunited with their mother "in God's eternal care." An earlier inquest had confirmed that their mother also died by drowning.