Man who murdered partner then blew up home in gas explosion is jailed for life

Clifton George killed Annabel Rook in the Stoke Newington house they shared (Picture: Metropolitan Police/PA Wire)
A man has been sentenced to life for murdering his partner before causing a gas explosion in their north London home.

Clifton George will serve a minimum term of 23 years after he killed Annabel Rook in the living room of their Stoke Newington house on June 16 last year.

That night, he stabbed Ms Rook 31 times before starting a fire in the basement, causing a gas explosion.

A jury at Snaresbrook Crown Court – where George was sentenced on Tuesday – previously found him guilty of Ms Rook’s murder at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Wednesday, 3 June.

Ms Rook had tried to end her 10-year relationship with George before her murder and had outlined how she lived in fear of his abuse in a letter addressed to her partner, which was never sent.

Annabel Rook was described as a ‘much-loved’ woman and active member of the community in Stoke Newington (Picture: Metropolitan Police/PA Wire)

‘A year ago we came to the decision we weren’t making each other happy,’ it read.

‘Somehow love wasn’t enough. We couldn’t reach each other.’

She added: ‘My heart is broken,’ outlining how George would ‘gaslight’ her and that she didn’t want to be around him.

Prosecutor William Emlyn Jones KC said the letter was ‘a heartbreaking description of a woman reluctantly letting go of her dream of a happy life with her partner’.

‘It is not angry, or hurtful – it is expressed as an attempt to be reasonable and accepting that the relationship just isn’t going to work.’

Speaking of Ms Rook’s murder, the prosecutor added: ‘In the course of that argument [George] 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 then lit the fire which caused the gas explosion at the family house in Dumont Road.

George, an electrician who had worked on major projects such as Crossrail and the Northern Line extension, initially denied the charge and claimed he had lost control of himself when he punched, throttled and ultimately stabbed his partner.

Ms Rook had tried to end her relationship with George before she was killed (Picture: Metropolitan Police/PA Wire)
But by the end of the trial the judge, Mr Justice Constable KC, had ruled that his defence could not be relied on thanks to ‘overwhelming’ evidence of George’s short temper and a pattern of abuse directed towards Ms Rook.

The trial heard George was an aggressive and bullying partner who was prone to outbursts, even over trivial matters.

At Snaresbrook Crown Court on Tuesday, Mr Justice Constable KC said George had a ‘troubling side to your character’ and ‘pronounced temper.’

‘An overwhelming picture has emerged of your rage, anger, and volatility.’

The judge described Ms Rook as ‘kind, attentive, funny, and altruistically motivated, and someone whose instinct was to support, to listen, and to improve the lives of others.’

‘She feared you, she feared your wrath,’ he added.

Ms Rook was the daughter of a former Old Bailey judge (Picture: Family Handout/PA Wire)
‘In your rage and fury, you brutally stabbed Annabel to death.’

He added George had ‘remained fixated on your self-absorbed belief that Annabel had betrayed you’ even after her death.

Ms Rook’s father, retired Old Bailey judge Peter Rook, said George was ‘utterly selfish’ while her mother, Susanna Rook, branded him ‘a wicked, totally narcissistic, damaged person.’

Delivering a victim impact statement in court, Mrs Rook said her daughter was ‘optimistic, inclusive, and full of fun.’

She said: ‘We know we will never be able to come to terms with her death, and life without her is painful and hard to bear.

‘We do feel Clifton betrayed the trust we placed in him. We welcomed him into the family in every way we could.

‘Bearing in mind his short fuse, particularly when in drink, we realise his inability to understand and address his own problems means he is, was, and will continue to be a dangerous man.’

SOURCE: Man who murdered partner then blew up home is jailed for life | News UK | Metro News