Shinobi – ninjas were very big in the 16-bit days (Sega)
The late 80s and early 90s were a great time for ninja games, but as a reader points, they weren’t always the most authentic or plausible.
There was once a time when video games made sense. You had a plumber who ‘fixed’ pipes, hedgehogs ran fairly briskly, and spaceships that shot down aliens. Then, sometime in the 1980s somebody looked at the concept of a ninja and decided that this wasn’t nearly stupid enough. And so began the age ‘ninja nonsense nunchuk-ery’.
Suddenly, every arcade game was full of these not-so-secret clans. One minute, games were about things like space invaders and rescuing princesses. Then suddenly, everything had ninjas.
And not just the occasional ninja. We’re talking industrial quantities. Entire cities full of them. Streets, factories, forests, sewers, even golf courses absolutely teaming with ninja. Yes, golf courses!
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Bad Dudes Vs. DragonNinja
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It’s the sort of video game that as an adult makes you realise how easily pleased you were as an adolescent.
In a time when you never stopped to ask, ‘Does this even make sense?’
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You play as Blade or Striker, two extremely patriotic men with predestined names whose solution to the kidnapping of the [resident is to take the law into their own hands, by proceeding to walk across America punching the face of every human being they encounter.
The fact the [resident needs rescuing by two Michael Jackson fans who look like they were rejected from an ‘80s action movie is completely justified.
The gameplay is beautifully simple: walk right, punch ninjas, occasionally spinny kick something, and hopefully nobody notices those approximately three attacks are your whole portfolio of moves. Every now and then you can pick up can of soda, kept at body temp for your liking and pre-shaken, ensuring the deceased enemy gets the last laugh.
The real star, however, is the premise.
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‘Are you a bad enough dude to rescue the [resident?’ Obviously, you are. Ridiculous, repetitive, and gloriously stupid, Bad Dudes Vs. DragonNinja is gaming distilled to its purest form: punch first, ask questions never.
Shinobi
During the course of this feature, we will establish that stealth apparently means heading directly towards your opponent in plain sight, often given them the opportunity to strike first.
Shinobi’s protagonist is Joe Musashi, a highly trained ninja whose idea of subtle infiltration is to sprint at an army of heavily armed men and reward them by pinning stars to their chests simply for taking part.
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Diplomacy as its finest.
Surprisingly, the plot involves kidnapped children and evil organisations. Joe’s mission is simple. Rescue the kids and destroy the criminals; first one to die, loses.
The Revenge Of Shinobi
This is what happens when someone decides that Shinobi isn’t quite ridiculous enough and adds magic, atomic seppuku, Godzilla, and enough shuriken to make the modern day RAM shortage look contrived.
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You play as Joe Musashi, a man whose wife has been kidnapped by Neo Zeed, an evil organisation, because according to any media, ninja revenge stories are legally required to begin with somebody being kidnapped.
Naturally, Joe responds by brazenly walking through cities, forests, and military installations, murdering approximately 700 people on the way.
And what a journey it is. One minute you’re fighting ordinary soldiers, the next you’re battling mutant creatures, pickled brains on cargo planes and guardians that appear to have escaped from a fever dream.
And a lawsuit.
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Subtlety clearly wasn’t invited.
The controls are kind of adequate, but Mr Musashi’s arsenal of shuriken makes you feel less like a stealthy assassin and more like a noisy draw of cutlery.
Alex Kidd In Shinobi World
Because Sega looked at Shinobi and thought, ‘Needs more small child.’
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Alex Kidd In Shinobi World begins with Alex’s girlfriend being kidnapped by the evil ninja Hanzo. A perfectly reasonable set-up for a serious tale of revenge, honour, and ancient martial arts.
But instead of a grim ninja warrior you get a giant-headed child in a little outfit bouncing around, probably skiving with no regard for his attendance record nor the teachers that patrol town monitoring truancy.
The game is essentially Sega taking Shinobi, putting it through a washing machine mixing dark with bright colours, and hoping nobody notices. And somehow it works as well as it’s supposed to.
Ninjas are everywhere, swarming around you like you’ve walked into a very aggressive Shinobi cosplay convention.
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The best part is the complete lack of concern from any type of law enforcement. A kidnapped girlfriend? Massive evil ninja organisation? Ancient mystical powers?
Who gives a shidoshi. Ridiculous, charming and wonderfully Sega, Alex KiddIin Shinobi World proves that revenge doesn’t have to be dark and serious.
Sometimes revenge has a massive head and eats burgers.
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Shadow Dancer: The Secret Of Shinobi
Shadow-dancing seems a hilariously pacifistic concept for a ninja, when you consider another term like shadow-boxing.
Perhaps shadow-dancing is the secret of Shinobi. How embarrassing.
Staying alive in this game requires you to traverse a city in which the majority of levels take place in broad daylight, so there’s very little fear of night fever setting in; shadows weren’t even cast as extras and dancing is non-existent.
As we do have a wolf sidekick, perhaps a better suited title would’ve been The Secret Of Shinobi – Dances With Wolves, but that sounds boring as hell. When I was a kid I wanted to believe the dog’s name was Shadow, but even that didn’t make sense at the time because he’s bright white.
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You play Hayate, a highly trained ninja assassin for once.
Step by step, he’ll dismantle a criminal organisation with his sword, shuriken, mystical powers, and the agility of a cat. And yet his most important instrument is the dog.
Hayate spends years mastering the ancient arts of ninjutsu, to keep his enemies in line, when all the dog has to do is bark rendering the enemy stunned with stage fright.
Your canine accomplice can pin enemies to the ground, allowing you to finish them off. So in an ironic twist, you’re not actually the main event here.
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You’re just a bloke waltzing around the place while the dog does all the foot work.
Now, Hayate can throw shuriken, slash people use magic, and perform spectacular ninja manoeuvres, but let’s be honest. Nobody remembers any of that jazz, all they remember is the bloody dog.
But let’s not dance around the real issue, the bad guys should’ve brought their own pet.
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Ninja Golf
Finally, a game brave enough to ask, ‘What if golf was considerably more violent?’ Ninja Golf is possibly the greatest example of a development meeting where absolutely nobody said, ‘We’re gonna do what now?’
The concept is radically simple. You’re a ninja playing golf.
But not all ninjas appreciate a second hobby and demand you stop enjoying yourself.
Instead of stealing your golf ball and being done with it, a ninja would rather steal your life.
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You tee off and watch your ball disappear into the distance and proceed to leg it to the right as an onslaught of ninja, green with envy, club together with their pets to stand between you and your par.
Because apparently regular golf wasn’t stressful enough.
If you somehow survive this handicap there’s an enormous dragon waiting for you at the end. Why? I don’t know. Who cares. You are a ninja with a golf club… fore!
By reader Bad Edit
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A state funeral was held Sunday for Hong Kong‘s first post-colonial leader, Tung Chee-hwa, who led the city through the initial years of its transition from British rule after it was returned to China in 1997.
Chinese officials and Hong Kong political leaders attended the service, only the third state funeral in the former British colony since the 1997 handover.
Tung, a shipping magnate who was the city’s chief executive from 1997 to 2005, died Sept. 8 at the age of 89. He grappled with the Asian financial crisis, SARS epidemic and public protests during his nearly eight years in office.
Flower wreaths lined the wall outside the Hong Kong Funeral Home and Tung’s casket, draped in a Chinese flag, could be seen being brought out after the service in live video streamed online by Hong Kong media. The media were not allowed inside.
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Shi Taifeng, a member of the Politburo of China’s ruling Communist Party, and Xia Baolong, the director of China’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, left the funeral in a white minibus with Hong Kong’s current leader, John Lee.
About 200 people were invited to the service, an attendee told Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post newspaper. Others paid condolences at three venues set up around the city.
After his death, the Chinese government described Tung as a close friend of the Communist Party and an outstanding contributor to the one-country, two systems framework that governs Hong Kong and nearby Macao, a former Portuguese colony returned to China in 1999.
Not long after Tung took office in 1997, Hong Kong’s economy was battered by a financial crisis that swept across Asia. In 2003, SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) killed nearly 300 people in the city and dealt another blow to the economy.
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The same year, an estimated half-million people took to the streets to protest the government’s plan to enact an anti-treason law that was seen as a threat to civil liberties. The government shelved the plan, and Tung resigned in 2005, citing health reasons.
The 2003 protest marked the start of years of pro-democracy protests that came to a head in 2019 and were followed by a crackdown and a Beijing-imposed national security law in 2020.
After stepping down, Tung was elected vice chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the country’s top political advisory body. He was among 42 people who received national medals and honors in 2019 for their contributions to the country.
As a 75-year-old lesbian, Mindy Meleyal has lived through every major milestone in the modern LGBT rights movement, from the start of decriminalisation in 1967 to the first same-sex marriages in 2014.
But now she says this important part of her identity is frequently overlooked due to her age.
She’s part of England’s older LGBTQ+ community, which a new report suggests often experiences poorer health, more limited finances and greater social isolation than the wider older population.
The report, from the Centre for Ageing Better, says without specialist support, this growing demographic could be forced “back into the closet” when accessing care, warning they may even delay getting the care they need because of concerns about homophobia.
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Adam Porter, a housing development manager from the LGBT Foundation charity, says he regularly meets older members of the community in exactly that situation.
“It’s very common for people to hide things if they have a carer visiting their home, for example hiding their wedding photos or taking down a trans flag,” he says.
“In the case of someone moving into a care environment, that means hiding who they are in their own home, for what could be the rest of their life.”
He says he has been “horrified” by some of the stories he has heard meeting older LGBTQ+ people, including some who have had carers offer to “pray for them” regarding their sexuality.
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Porter is part of the team behind Kindred House, a first-of-its-kind LGBTQ+ social housing scheme for over-55s, set to open in Manchester next year.
By REV GILES FRASER, CHURCH OF ENGLAND VICAR AND BROADCASTER
Published: | Updated:
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To those of us just trying to get on with the job of being a vicar, it is depressing that the Church of England’s leadership has become so ideologically captured by the progressive lanyard class.
Last week Leeds Minster ran a pro-Palestinian project featuring a tapestry depicting the victims of the Gaza war – including, it transpires, dozens of Hamas terrorists.
Not again, I sighed, as I was photocopying service sheets, worrying about getting a new treasurer and thinking about one of my congregation having chemotherapy.
But it feels like the Church leadership would prefer parishes address global causes, from Gaza to historic slavery, rather than look after the spiritual needs of our communities.
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It dumbfounds me that the Church wants to give up £100million for slavery reparations – and to take this money from a fund established by Queen Anne in 1704 for the benefit of churches and poor clergy.
They want us to be Net Zero by 2030, which is plainly impossible to achieve, given that we are custodians of the largest number of listed, medieval and frankly draughty buildings in the country.
They pass grossly one-sided resolutions on Israel and Gaza that have set back interfaith relations with the Jewish community by years.
So the fact that the tapestry exhibition in Leeds had to be cancelled due to a lack of forethought and, as a result, complaints by Jewish groups is, sadly, no surprise.
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Rev Giles Fraser criticised the Church’s involvement in Gaza and Israel, arguing that these issues are distracting from its core responsibility to serve local congregations
The tapestry, called Stitch Their Names Together, listed the names of people who have died in the conflict with Israel and had been due to remain on display at Leeds Minster until Sunday
It does not make for a good week for the Church of England.
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A few days ago, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dame Sarah Mullally, was forced to withdraw an award given to Muslim cleric Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, after it emerged that he had praised Osama Bin Laden and called Hamas attackers ‘freedom fighters’.
In June, she visited a woman active in the student wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, an organisation that participated in the October 7 2023 attack.
She was photographed next to a painting of the woman’s uncle, who Mossad assassinated for helping organise the 1972 murder of Israeli athletes in Munich.
This could all be just naivety, but I suspect the problem stems from how the Church hierarchy sees itself.
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In their minds, they are more like politicians, who see Christianity as the same as liberal progressive politics, which requires them to save the world – though not in a salvation kind of way.
Our archbishops fly into conflict zones as if they were global ambassadors. The Church Commissioners sit on £11.6billion in assets while we struggle to make ends meet with a few faithful volunteers.
Until the Church shakes off its political posturing and sense of self-importance, it will continue to make these howlers, which only serve to alienate the parishioners we are called to attend.
The girl had been travelling in the vehicle when the attack took place on Friday.
A police investigation has been launched after a girl was sexually assaulted on a bus in Glasgow.
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The girl had been travelling in the vehicle when the attack took place in the Gallowgate area of the city at 4.45pm on Friday, September 18.
Police say inquiries into the incident are ongoing.
Officers have asked for anyone with any information to come forward.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 4.45pm on Friday, 18 September, 2026, we received a report of the sexual assault of a girl on a bus in the Gallowgate area of Glasgow.
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“Extensive enquiries remain ongoing and anyone with concerns or information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 2329 of 18 September, 2026.”
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Gemma says she wanted to show her kids that you can still do the things that feel a bit scary, even after setbacks
This is Belfast mum Gemma Massey who has returned to competitive weightlifting 12 years after her last competition.
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For Gemma, a personal trainer, Bowen therapist and massage therapist, it’s proof that a back injury, ongoing nerve pain and the everyday demands of raising a family don’t have to be the end of your goals.
Gemma, 43 and from West Belfast, is mum to Charlotte and Jack. Founder of strength and recovery studio Re-Balance You, Gemma competed at The Outset Open, hosted by NI Weightlifting, on September 12 at Outset Gym, Hulls Lane, Lisburn. It’s her first competition in 12 years, having first stepped onto a competition platform 14 years ago.
In the years between, Gemma fractured her back before the birth of her daughter. The injury left her with nerve pain down one side of her body that she still lives with today.
“That injury really knocked my confidence in what my body could do,” said Gemma. “For a long time I didn’t know if I’d get back to lifting properly again, never mind competing. But with the right team around me, and a bit of time and patience, you can get back things you thought were gone for good.”
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Gemma says the return to competition was about more than lifting weights. As a mum running her own business, she wanted to speak openly about how easily women can lose sight of themselves once children, work and everyday responsibilities take over.
“Nobody really talks about how, when you become a mum, you kind of drop down the pecking order of your own life,” Gemma explained. “School runs, dinner, the house, work. Everyone else comes first. Being a mum is an amazing job, but your priorities change, and it’s easy to lose track of yourself in the middle of it all.
“I wanted to show my kids that you can still do the things that feel a bit scary, even after setbacks, and when life has completely rearranged your priorities.”
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Gemma runs Re-Balance You, a Belfast-based strength, movement and holistic therapy practice combining personal training, group fitness classes, Pilates, sports massage and Bowen Therapy, a hands-on treatment she is certified in through the College of Bowen Studies.
She credits her coaching team at GoLift Weightlifting Club, including coach Peter Stewart, along with the ongoing support of Louise Murphy PT, with helping her prepare for the competition: “Louise believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. Having the right people in your corner makes all the difference.”
Gemma hopes her story will resonate with other mums, and with anyone who has felt they had to put their own goals on hold. Progress, she says, is possible at any stage of life.
Babul’s, on Market Place, stopped offering takeaways from September 14 after saying rising costs, pressure on its kitchen and abuse directed at staff had made the service increasingly difficult to operate.
But within days, the customer response made the restaurant’s team “stop and think”.
Babul’s said customers had emailed, messaged and commented about how important takeaways had become to them.
The restaurant said it heard from customers who had ordered for decades and families who made Babul’s part of birthdays, New Year’s Eve and other traditions.
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Babul’s in Barnard Castle (Image: Sarah Caldecott)
It said messages from older people, customers with disabilities or health problems and carers showed that takeaways were essential, not just convenient.
In a statement, Babul’s said: “Since announcing the end of our takeaway service, the response has been far greater than we expected.
“We’ve read your comments, messages and emails, and some of the stories you’ve shared have genuinely moved us.
“We knew people enjoyed our takeaways. What we perhaps hadn’t fully appreciated was just how much the service means to some people, and the role it has played in their lives.”
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The restaurant highlighted customer Malcolm Elsbury, who has launched a petition urging Babul’s to reconsider.
It added: “For some people, takeaway isn’t just about convenience; it’s the only realistic way they can continue enjoying Babul’s.
“Malcolm is one of those customers, and his story really brought that home to us. But he is far from the only person we’ve heard from.”
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Babul’s stressed that the problems behind its original decision have not gone away.
The restaurant previously said online, phone and walk-in orders put kitchen and front-of-house staff under heavy pressure at busy times, risking delays for diners and takeaway customers.
It had also reported more rude and verbally abusive behaviour towards staff handling takeaway complaints.
But the business is asking whether a different model could bring takeaways back.
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Customers have suggested a smaller menu, online ordering and payment, fixed collection slots, limited busy-period availability and higher prices if needed.
“Perhaps it’s: ‘Is there a better way of doing it?’
“If takeaway were to return, it couldn’t simply return exactly as before.”
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The restaurant said limiting dishes and collection slots could control demand, with orders stopping when capacity was reached.
It added: “But if those changes allowed us to offer takeaway again without compromising our restaurant, our standards or our team… would you support it?”
Mr Elsbury’s “Bring Babul’s Takeaways Back!” petition says customers understand the pressures on the independent business and are not demanding the old system back unchanged.
Instead, it suggests online-only ordering, fixed collection slots, a smaller menu, higher prices, selected takeaway times and minimum orders.
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The petition says older residents, disabled people, carers and families with young children can find eating out difficult.
It also says people in rural communities around Barnard Castle have fewer alternatives for food.
Mr Elsbury wrote: “We are not demanding that the old takeaway system simply comes back unchanged. We are asking for a conversation.
“We are asking whether there is a middle ground that protects the restaurant, protects its staff and still allows an important service to remain available to the community.”
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When Babul’s announced the end of takeaways, it left open a return if a reliable, financially sustainable model could be found.
The restaurant has urged customers to sign the petition and suggest how a revised service could work.
It said: “Nothing about the challenges we originally spoke about has changed, but your feedback has made us think differently about how we might solve them.
“Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to contact us and share their story.
Previously, the broadcaster said that the show was out “to competitive tender this year”, meaning it was up for grabs by different production companies. However, the BBC will still transmit the show. The company also strongly denied accusations they were “shelving” the series.
And now, the BBC has shared exactly what they’ll be looking for in a new season in an invitation to tender, which has reminded some of the show’s 2005 transformative reboot.
“The contract is for a multi-episodic series (including specials) for transmission in 2028/29, with an option to extend the contract at BBC’s discretion to produce a second series,” the “opportunity” description reads.
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Billie Piper as Rose in 2026’s Dr Who
“We are looking for a new perspective that ensures Doctor Who remains relevant, surprising, brave and inspiring for both long-standing fans and new audiences…
“We are flexible in the way the series is structured i.e. serialised or ‘story-of-the-week’ and the number of episodes which make up the series,” it continues.
“We are not necessarily looking to work to a strict showrunner model and would expect once in production that the series will also use episodic writers.”
The new series is going to have to impress among a slew of great content, too.
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“Visually, the series should feel cinematic, distinctive, and ambitious, capable of competing for audience attention in a highly competitive global market. We encourage innovative approaches to production, world-building, visual effects, and storytelling that maximise the scale and emotional impact of the Doctor Who universe.”
Producers have to develop at least one companion for the new series, which the BBC hopes will “transport audiences to extraordinary times and places, ranging from historical settings to distant futures, alien worlds, and contemporary Earth.
“Successful pitches will deliver ‘back of the sofa’ scares, jeopardy and tension, whilst remaining suitable for a broad family audience. Doctor Who embraces themes that celebrate curiosity, courage, intelligence, and compassion, themes that interrogate the human condition and most of all, it should and will always be distinctively British storytelling.”
The document ends, “Doctor Who is a show that has sparked conversation, taken risks and inspired audiences for decades, and we are looking for this series to continue that tradition.”
Billie has previously said of her new storyline, “I am not the next Doctor, I am Rose Tyler in hiatus… Sorry, that’s a really cryptic answer, but because I’m not currently filming Doctor Who as The Doctor, I can’t lie and say otherwise.”
The BBC’s deadline for new submissions ends on October 2.
Paul Kelly, from Clostoken, died following a slurry incident on a farm in Loughrea on Wednesday, with tributes flooding in for the beloved father-of-one
21:07, 19 Sep 2026Updated 21:14, 19 Sep 2026
A father who lost his life in a tragic farming accident in Co Galway has been remembered as a “kind, wonderful person”.
Paul Kelly, from Clostoken, passed away following a slurry incident on a farm in Loughrea on Wednesday.
The Health and Safety Authority has launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fatal incident.
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In a notice on RIP.ie, Paul’s family said: “[We] would like to express their sincere thanks to all their extended family, neighbours and friends for all their kindness and help, at this very sad time. May Paul’s gentle soul rest in peace.”
The father-of-one will be laid to rest at Clostoken Cemetery following his funeral mass at the Church of the Holy Family, Clostoken, at 12pm on Monday, reports the Irish Mirror.
He will repose at Kilboy’s Funeral Home, Loughrea on Sunday from 3pm to 5pm. His funeral notice reads: “Predeceased by his loving father Vincent and mother Bernadette.
“Paul will be deeply mourned and sadly missed by his daughter Tia and her mother Jana, brothers Richard, Kenneth and Gerard, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, uncles, aunts, extended family, relatives and many friends.”
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An outpouring of tributes has emerged for the Galway man, who has been fondly described as “kind, funny and helpful”.
One heartfelt tribute reads: “To his beautiful girl Tia his pride and joy to Jana and the extended Kelly and Killilea families at this very sad time. Fond memories and chats with Paul he was such a kind and caring gentleman.”
A friend recalled: “I have the fondest of memories with Paul from our days in school, University and then as our neighbour.
“One of the hardest workers I ever knew who loved his family beyond measure and was a kind, wonderful person and friend. He will be very sadly missed around the roads of Clostoken.”
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Another pal reflected: “He was always so friendly and hardworking. May his kind and gentle soul rest in peace.”
While a fourth mourner shared: “Paul was a lovely, friendly man who always stopped for a chat in the morning. He had a warm and kind nature that will be fondly remembered by all who knew him. Paul adored his beautiful daughter, Tia, and was immensely proud of her. Paul is back in the arms of his beloved parents Bernadette and Vincent.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with you all as you grieve the loss of a deeply loved father, partner, brother, family member and friend. May the many happy memories you shared with Paul bring you comfort and strength in the difficult days ahead. RIP Paul.”
A Pakistani carer raped a bedbound elderly woman before accusing her of attacking him.
Fazli Qadeer, 25, from Peshawar, was jailed for 12 years after attacking the ‘extremely vulnerable’ victim.
The carer, who has a student visa to the UK, joined his brother in Bristol for university last year and became a carer to earn money.
He carried out the sickening assault after learning that the woman’s family would be away.
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He climbed on her bed and told her he ‘loved her’ and ‘wanted to marry her’, the court heard.
The woman, who is in her seventies, was described as ‘extremely vulnerable’ during the hearing at Bristol Crown Court.
Qadeer kissed her on the lips, touched her breasts and subjected her to a sustained sexual assault, including oral rape, the court heard.
After his arrest, Qadeer denied raping the woman and later tried to convince jurors that the bedbound elderly woman had actually sexually assaulted him.
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Fazli Qadeer (pictured), 25, from Peshawar, was handed a 12-year sentence for the attack on the ‘extremely vulnerable’ victim
But he was found guilty and handed a 12-year prison sentence, The Times reports.
A restraining order is in place to prevent him from contacting the victim.
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The Home Office is set to review his immigration status after his sentence.
The woman detailed the impact the attack has had on her life.
She said Qadeer had ‘taken away my freedom.’
She has been left with ‘severe nightmares’ and has been struggling to sleep since the attack.
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Noises now make her afraid and she fears the attacker will come back and kill her.
She has also questioned whether she can trust her lifelong male friends and was prescribed diazepam due to stress.
‘We still don’t know if he did it to anyone else before but I know I have stopped it from happening again,’ she added.
In his letter of apology after the court case, Qadeer described ‘growing up in difficult circumstances around a lot of violence and a culture of fear,’ defence lawyer Jemima Lovatt said.
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Qadeer has told his family since his conviction that he was a victim of rape as a child, Ms Lovatt said.
Three sisters who drowned at Brighton Beach had visited the lake where their mother died just two days before the tragedy.
Jane Adetoro, 36, Christina Walters, 32, and Rebecca Walters, 31, were found dead in the early hours of May 13, 16 years after their mother also drowned.
Exactly what happened to the sisters remains a mystery, but their cousin Natalie Walters-Daniel, 33, believes their visit to the lake where their mother died carried a ‘deeper meaning’.
She told the Sunday Times that the sisters, who were aged 20, 16 and 15 when their mother Janice Adetoro died, had never recovered from losing her.
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Janice drowned near the family’s home in Birmingham in 2010.
Ms Walters-Daniel said: ‘To lose their mum at the ages that they were, it was the crucial stages of growing up and becoming young women.
‘The years where a mother’s presence and guidance and reassurance and love should be, they didn’t receive that.
‘And for them to come to Birmingham, to take that moment that they did within the lake and also to see their mother, I think that there is definitely a connection there.’
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Janice had been living with one of her daughters and was last seen by her before she disappeared, prompting her desperate family to appeal for help.
The sisters with their father, Joseph. He has been ‘catatonic’ since hearing what happened to his daughters
In 2010, their mother Janice Adetoro, who had split from their father and had mental health issues, walked into a park lake
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She suffered from stress-related mental health issues but did not have any medication with her when she vanished.
Her brother Lincoln said at the time: ‘The girls are so upset and can’t stop thinking about you and for their sake we need you to make contact.’
Janice disappeared in January 2010 before her body was discovered in Early February.
An inquest heard that earlier that year she had turned up at a police station with ‘paranoid delusions’.
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Her daughters later moved back to London, where neighbours described them as intensely private and unsociable, with their food shopping delivered once a week.
Jane worked as a senior accountant, Christina was a junior accountant and Rebecca was an HR administrator.
Sussex Police have since concluded their investigation into the sisters’ deaths and said they found no evidence of crime or third-party involvement.
Ms Walters-Daniel said: ‘We are not going to get the full answers to this.’
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She added that an inquest next month could shed some light on the tragedy.
Their father Joseph previously spoke of his devastation at losing all three of his daughters, saying ‘no words can truly describe the pain’ in a heartbreaking tribute reported by the BBC.
‘You were more than my daughters: you were my joy, my strength and the beautiful light that filled my life with love,’ he wrote in the order of service.
‘There are moments when it feels unbearable, but I hold tightly to the memories we shared, the love we knew and the bond that nothing can ever take away.
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Flowers and messages left at the scene in Brighton
‘Jane, I will never forget your strength. Tina, your kindness touched so many lives. Becky, your warmth and joyful spirit brought happiness wherever you went.’
Joseph’s wife Genevieve Barnaby described the sisters as ‘the most beautiful girls [who] didn’t give us no trouble’.
Paying tribute to her stepchildren, she wrote: ‘Our hearts are broken. The pain is indescribable.’
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Their cousin told mourners at the funeral that their ‘lives will never be forgotten’ and their ‘memory will live on forever’.
A GoFundMe page launched by their uncle has since raised more than £45,000 towards funeral costs.
The page reads: ‘No parent should ever have to bury their child, let alone all three.
‘While trying to process this unimaginable tragedy, my brother is now also faced with the heartbreaking task of arranging three funerals.
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‘As a family, we simply want to give the girls the loving and dignified farewell they deserve.
‘We are humbly asking for any support you may be able to offer towards the funeral expenses.
‘Any contribution, no matter how small, will help ease the burden on the family during this incredibly difficult time.’
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