Man jailed for life for murdering partner in north London house explosion

Clifton George, 45, was sentenced on Tuesday to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 23 years for murdering Annabel Rook at their home in Dumont Road, Stoke Newington, north London. George stabbed Rook 31 times during a row on the night of 16 June 2025 after she said their 10-year relationship should end.

He then started a fire in the basement that triggered a gas canister explosion, ripping through the property and blowing off part of the roof.

George was found lying on the kitchen floor covered in blood; he later tried to harm himself while Rook lay dead in the living room. In the aftermath he admitted, “I lost it,” and the trial heard he had lost his temper when he believed Rook had told him a lie. George denied murder at Snaresbrook Crown Court but was convicted by a jury last week.

His attempt to claim loss of self-control as a partial defence was rejected after jurors heard evidence of prior angry outbursts and at least one earlier incident of violence toward Rook. Rook, 46, was a charity worker who co-founded the social enterprise MamaSuze to help refugees through arts workshops. She was the daughter of retired Old Bailey judge Peter Rook.

Her best friend, Sian Davin, told the court she believed George needed therapy for his anger issues and described an occasion when he pushed Rook against a wall and grabbed her around the throat. Mr Justice Constable KC imposed the sentence on Tuesday.