Woman stabbed in heart before explosion, court told

A woman was fatally stabbed by her "angry" partner before he went on to cause a gas explosion at their home in east London, a court has been told.

Annabel Rook, 46, is alleged to have been repeatedly punched and stabbed by Clifton George at their home on Dumont Road in Stoke Newington in June 2025.

The prosecution said the couple's relationship had been deteriorating, and a confrontation escalated into a fatal attack after Rook asked George to leave.

George has admitted manslaughter but denies murder.

Opening the case for the prosecution, William Emlyn Jones KC said the defendant argued with Rook and "in the course of that argument he punched her, he then tried to strangle her, and then he went to the kitchen to get a knife, he came back with the knife and he stabbed her to death.

"He was undoubtedly very angry with her, and we will be at looking at why he was so angry.

"He lost his temper, and in his rage… he murdered Annabel."

The couple were not married but had been living together for more than a decade. The jury was told their relationship had difficulties and had significantly deteriorated by mid-2025, with separation "appearing imminent".

The court heard Rook had been stabbed at least 22 times, including through the heart, before the explosion.

Investigators believe George unsuccessfully tried to ignite the gas using electrical switches and the kitchen hob before eventually starting a fire in the basement using burning paper, which caused the gas to explode directly underneath the living room, where Annabel Rook's body was lying.

Emlyn Jones told the jury: "The force of the blast lifted the floorboards, shifted the furniture, and caused significant damage to the property and to the house next door. It also made an almighty bang."

Neighbours recalled a "massive boom which felt like a mini-earthquake".

Emlyn Jones also told jurors that the neighbours had heard three screams the previous evening.

George was found lying on the kitchen floor covered in blood and broken glass, while the roof of the kitchen extension had been blown off. The court heard the neighbours shouted for George to "get out" of the house, but he then started to stab himself in the neck.

Rook, the daughter of retired Old Bailey judge Peter Rook, was the co-founder of a London-based social enterprise called MamaSuze, which supports refugee and migrant women with art and drama activities and workshops.

The trial continues.

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