A UK coroner has formally ruled that three sisters of Nigerian descent took their own lives after drowning in the sea off Brighton beach in the early hours of May 13.

The deceased Jane Adetoro, 36, Christina Walters, 32, and Rebecca Walters, 31 lived together in Greenford, west London, where they reportedly led very secluded and private lives following the death of their mother, Janice Adetoro, who also died by drowning in 2010.

Evidence presented at Woodvale Coroner’s Court in Brighton revealed that the sisters made a night-time trip to Birmingham on May 11. They took a taxi to Linton Walk, an address close to Brookvale Park Lake, where their mother died. DCI Mark Cullimore of Sussex

Police noted that while there was no CCTV footage showing their actions in Birmingham, the women spent nearly two hours near the site before returning to their London flat.

On the evening of May 12, the sisters booked another taxi to Brighton, arriving near the seafront at 10:21 PM. CCTV footage captured them walking along the beach in the darkness, and they were last seen alive at 2:42 AM on May 13.

The RNLI lifeboat crew recovered the bodies of Jane Adetoro and Christina Walters from the water, while Rebecca Walters’ body was recovered along the shoreline.

Senior Coroner Penelope Schofield told the court that the sisters entered the sea during adverse weather conditions in total darkness, despite none of them being able to swim. Post-mortem examinations confirmed that all three women died from drowning, with toxicology tests showing no traces of drugs or alcohol, and no evidence of violence or foul play.

Inquest records showed that Christina Walters had suffered from anxiety and depression since her mother’s passing, while Rebecca had no medical history of mental health issues recorded, and Jane was not registered with a doctor.

Paying tribute in a written statement, their father, Joseph Jacobson, said: “There are no words that can adequately express the pain of losing a child. To lose all three of my precious daughters, Jane, Christina and Rebecca, is a heartbreak beyond anything I could ever have imagined. You were my daughters, you will always be my daughters, and I will love you for the rest of my life. May your beautiful souls rest in perfect peace.”

Coroner Schofield concluded: “These three sisters lived very secluded lives; they were incredibly private. 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.”