The partner of a woman who was found stabbed following a gas explosion at her home has been charged with murdering her.
Clifton George, 44, was charged yesterday with the murder of Annabel Rook, 46, as well as arson with intent to endanger life.
Ms Rook was found fatally injured at a house in Stoke Newington, North East London, just before 5am on Tuesday, June 17.
George was arrested for murder at the scene shortly after officers arrived, then taken to hospital with slash injuries.
He was later discharged and released into police custody before being charged.
George has now been remanded in custody to appear at Thames Magistrates’ Court later today.
Metropolitan Police Acting Detective Chief Superintendent Brittany Clarke, who is in charge of policing for the Central East Basic Command Unit, said: ‘Our thoughts continue to remain with the family and friends of Annabel as they navigate this devastating loss.
‘We ask that the public refrain from speculation and respect their privacy at this time, and we thank the Hackney community for their ongoing support.’
Police were called at 04.57am on June 17 to reports of a gas explosion with a person trapped inside the property.
The front bay window of the property was completely blown out that morning, with debris including plants, wooden shutters and glass scattered across the street.
Two children, aged seven and nine, were also taken to hospital as a precaution following the incident but are not thought to have been inside the home when the explosion happened.
Six fire engines and 40 firefighters were also called to the scene.
Ms Rook was the co-founder of the refugee and women’s organisation MamaSuze, an arts-based unit which helps victims of forced displacement and gender-based violence.
In a statement issued via the Metropolitan Police yesterday, her family said they were ‘struggling to come to terms with this terrible tragedy’.
‘We have lost our beautiful daughter, sister, friend and mother. Annabel was a truly wonderful woman,’ the tribute read. ‘She touched the hearts of so many.
‘She gave her life to helping the vulnerable and the disadvantaged whether it was in refugee camps in Africa or setting up MamaSuze in London, to enhance the lives of survivors of forced displacement and gender-based violence.
‘We would really appreciate it if our privacy could be respected.’
John Martin, artistic director of PAN Intercultural Arts, where Ms Rook worked with young refugees for 16 years until 2022, previously described her as ‘a larger-than-life character’ who joined the charity as a volunteer with lots of energy.
In a personal tribute, Mr Martin said: ‘Annabel’s energy brought a lot to the women and gave them new hope.
‘This was her speciality, I think – a sort of a boundless optimism, a boundless self-confidence, which she transferred onto other people.’
‘She spent her life, certainly the 10, 12 years that I knew her, fighting against women who had been abused, fighting against violence to women, and the irony is that she then suffered from violence to women in the way that she died yesterday,’ he said.
MamaSuze said in a statement that it was ‘devastated by the loss of our beloved co-founder’ and that she treated everyone with ‘warmth and kindness’.
‘Annabel was a profound force for good in the world, dedicating her working life to supporting women survivors,’ it added.
MamaSuze is defined as a Community Interest Company (CIC), which is a limited company intended to benefit a community that cannot be registered as a charity.
Anyone with information that could assist the investigation into the incident has been urged to contact police on 101 quoting CAD 926/17June.
Alternatively, information can be provided anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
