Raised by her mother following her father's death when she was four years old, she moved out of her family home as a teenager and served her first prison sentence at the age of 18, by which time she was already working as a prostitute.

The couple moved to Bridgend, and although both Selina and Ebenezer Rushbrook were convicted of theft in 1902 she appears not to have come to the attention of the authorities for the three years following that incident.

In February 1907, while leading prospective client Ernest Witts towards a secluded area of Swansea Docks, she fell from a footbridge into the lock.

He made no further effort to save her as he was unable to swim and instead went to fetch help; roughly three hours later, police recovered her body from the lock.

Her life was examined by local historian Elizabeth Belcham in her book Swansea's 'Bad Girls': Crime and Prostitution 1870s–1914.

[1] In June 1899, Jenkins was convicted of "offences against decency[C] in a lane near the Sailors' Rest" with Swansea resident Thomas O'Connell.

[16] On her release Jenkins again avoided the attention of the police, other than a single conviction for public drunkenness for which she received a seven-day prison sentence.

As Maggs attempted to march her to the police station, Ebenezer Rushbrook approached the pair, told the officer that the woman in question was his wife, and demanded she be released.

As Maggs reached to collect his hat the woman took the opportunity to flee; Ebenezer was duly arrested and sentenced to a fine of 40s (about £300 in 2025 terms[5]) or one month's imprisonment.

[20]) Shortly afterwards, in August 1901, Ebenezer was convicted of "knowingly living on the earnings of his wife's immorality", and sentenced to three months' hard labour.

[22] The move did not reduce the couple's criminal activities, and in November 1902 Selina was convicted, along with fellow prostitute Sarah Musgrove, of stealing a watch in the York Hotel, Bridgend from William Howells of Coity.

[26] Arrested on 17 November 1905 along with her friends Catherine Driscoll and Lily Argent for the theft of a sea-captain's purse,[27] all three were found not guilty.

[25] At the subsequent inquest, held at the nearby Adelaide Hotel on 18 February,[25] Witts testified that after Rushbrook had fallen from the bridge he made no attempt to save her as he was unable to swim.