Man found guilty of murdering Annabel Rook in Stoke Newington fire attack

Clifton George was found guilty of murdering Annabel Rook after a jury decided he had turned a domestic row into a brutal killing and arson attack inside their north London home. Jurors at Snaresbrook Crown Court reached their verdict in about two-and-a-half hours, rejecting George’s claim that he had lost self-control after Ms Rook said their 10-year relationship should end.

The attack on June 17, 2025, unfolded at the couple’s house on Dumont Road in Stoke Newington, where police were called at 4.57am to reports of a gas explosion with someone trapped inside. Six fire engines and 40 firefighters rushed to the scene, the front bay window had been blown out, and debris was scattered across the street. Ms Rook, 46, was found in the living room with multiple stab wounds and died from knife injuries. George, 45, was arrested at the scene and later charged with murder and arson with intent to endanger life.

Prosecutors said George stabbed Ms Rook 31 times before starting a fire in the basement in an attempt to trigger a gas canister explosion that ripped through the property. The case exposed a pattern of coercive and violent behaviour that friends and family said had been building for years. Evidence heard in court described George as an aggressive, bullying partner with a temper and repeated abusive outbursts, while one best friend testified about his “unreasonable flashing rage.” Friends said Ms Rook had repeatedly vowed to leave him.

Ms Rook’s death cut short the life of a woman deeply rooted in work with vulnerable communities. She co-founded MamaSuze, a charity and social enterprise supporting refugee and migrant women, including survivors of domestic violence, through arts, drama and related activities. She was also the daughter of retired Old Bailey judge Peter Rook. Following her death, her family and colleagues described her as a loving mother, daughter, sister and friend and as a “profound force for good in the world.”

The violence of the final attack has drawn attention, but the case sits within a more familiar and far more alarming pattern: warnings, abuse and escalating control that can precede intimate-partner homicide. George had worked as an electrician on major projects including Crossrail and the Northern Line extension, yet that professional life sat alongside evidence of a relationship that ended in fire, stabbing and a destroyed home. The blast, neighbours said, felt like a “mini earthquake.”