A coroner has concluded that three sisters who drowned off Brighton Beach died from suicide. Jane Adetoro, 36, Christina Walters, 32, and Rebecca Walters, 31, all from Luton, were pulled from the water on May 13 but could not be saved.
Coroner Penelope Schofield gave the official cause of death as drowning and concluded the sisters had taken their own lives. She said: "I have to consider why they entered the water in the house of darkness when they couldn't swim. The sisters deliberately entered the water with the intent to end their lives."
Police investigation details
Detective Chief Inspector Mark Cullimore said: "All the references were to London and the Thames." The inquest, at Brighton Coroners Court, heard that their father, Joseph Jacobsen, had told police his daughters "couldn't swim".
Det Ch Insp Cullimore said: "On Wednesday, May 13, two calls were received reporting bodies could be seen in the sea in Brighton. One body appeared lifeless and had been washed up on the shore. It was windy and the sea was particularly rough."
Father's tribute
Their father Joseph Jacobsen said: "There are no words that can adequately express the loss of a child. It's a heartbreak beyond anything I could imagine. Each had their own special place in my heart. They shared a special bond as sisters."
He added: "I find some comfort in my Christian faith. They were my daughters - they were loved and they mattered. I'm left with memories that I will have for the rest of my life."
CCTV and final sightings
Police reviewed thousands of hours of CCTV to establish what happened to the sisters. The inquest heard they had used a pre-booked taxi to leave London for Brighton. Last sightings were near the pier and on the sea front, with several cameras picking them up - one using a mobile phone and another a mobile torch.
Members of the sisters' family were not present in person at the inquest but some watched online via a TV link.
