Three sisters took own lives in Brighton sea, inquest rules

Three sisters who lived together in Greenford, west London, intentionally drowned in the sea off Brighton, a senior coroner has ruled. Jane Adetoro, 36, Christina Walters, 32, and Rebecca Walters, 31, died on May 13. Their bodies were recovered from the water after emergency services were called to the scene at approximately 5:45am that morning.

Visit to Birmingham

An inquest heard that two days before their deaths, the sisters travelled to Birmingham. They arrived at Linton Walk, near Brookvale Park Lake, at 11:36pm on May 11. Their mother had drowned in a lake in the same area several years prior. The sisters were picked up from Birmingham at 1:28am on May 12 and returned to their Greenford home. Detective Chief Inspector Mark Cullimore told the hearing at Woodvale Coroner’s Court that no CCTV footage captured their movements in Birmingham.

Journey to Brighton

On the evening of May 12, the sisters took a pre-booked taxi to Brighton, arriving near the seafront at 10:21pm. They were last seen alive on CCTV from the beach at 2:42am on May 13. Jane Adetoro was brought ashore by an RNLI crew and pronounced dead at the scene. Christina Walters was recovered by an RNLI lifeboat, and Rebecca Walters was found on the beach. Both were also pronounced dead by paramedics that morning.

Senior coroner Penelope Schofield concluded the medical cause of death for all three women was drowning. She stated that on May 13, in darkness, they entered the sea at Brighton, they could not swim, and sea conditions were adverse. Ms Schofield concluded the women died by suicide and stated it may never be known why they chose Brighton for their deaths.