A man described as "angry" fatally stabbed his partner before setting off a gas explosion at their east London residence, a court has heard. Clifton George, 45, stands accused of murdering 46-year-old Annabel Rook during an altercation at their home on Dumont Road, Stoke Newington, on June 17, 2025.
George has pleaded guilty to manslaughter, accepting responsibility for Ms Rook's death, but denies the charge of murder, Snaresbrook Crown Court was told on Wednesday. Prosecutor William Emlyn Jones KC stated that the stabbing occurred amid the couple's deteriorating relationship and after Ms Rook had instructed George to leave the property. George is alleged to have then devised a plan to take his own life and "explode the house."
The Incident
According to the prosecution, George retrieved a knife from the kitchen and attacked Ms Rook in the living room, described as being "very angry and upset" afterwards. He subsequently ignited a fire, setting a gas canister alight and causing "an enormous explosion" that severely damaged the home and roused neighbours.
"On the night of June 16 and 17 last year, the defendant argued with his partner Annabel Rook," Mr Emlyn Jones told the court. "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 looking at why he was so angry."
The prosecutor added: "He lost his temper, and in his rage… he murdered Annabel."
Victim Background
Ms Rook, daughter of retired Old Bailey judge Peter Rook, was co-founder of MamaSuze, a London-based social enterprise supporting refugee and migrant women through art and drama workshops. The court heard she had been stabbed "a great many times" before the explosion, while George was discovered in the back garden, heavily bleeding and attempting to stab himself with a shard of glass.
When asked if anyone was inside the house, George replied "my wife," adding she was dead. Asked how he knew, he said "because I killed her." Ms Rook had been deceased for several hours by the time emergency services arrived.
Legal Proceedings
In police interviews, George claimed he "lost it" upon discovering Ms Rook had "lied to me." The couple, though never married, had cohabited for over a decade. The prosecution noted their relationship was "difficult at times" and had deteriorated by summer 2025, with Ms Rook telling George to leave.
Mr Emlyn Jones explained that evidence from family, friends, and messages from their phones would provide insight into the relationship's decline. George's guilty plea to manslaughter has not been accepted by the Crown, and he continues to face a murder charge. The trial is ongoing.
