By James Simons-
An electrician who stabbed a retired judge’s daughter to death in a frenzied attack before triggering a gas explosion that ripped through their home has been found guilty of murder.
Clifton George, 45, killed his partner Annabel Rook, 46, by stabbing her 31 times after she told him their 10-year relationship was over and he should move out of the property she owned in Stoke Newington, east London.
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In the aftermath of the killing, George deliberately started a fire in the basement in an attempt to cause an explosion involving a gas canister, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard.
The blast tore through the house in the early hours of June 17 last year, blowing off part of the roof and prompting neighbours to compare the force of the explosion to a “mini earthquake”.
George admitted killing Ms Rook but denied murder, claiming he had lost self-control during an argument and had little recollection of the fatal attack. However, in a significant ruling before the case was left to the jury, Mr Justice Constable KC determined that George could not rely on a loss-of-control defence.
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The judge said there was “overwhelming evidence” that George had a history of short-tempered and aggressive behaviour and ruled that his actions during the attack were inconsistent with someone who had genuinely lost control.
Highlighting the fact that George had stopped the assault, gone to the kitchen to retrieve a knife and then returned to continue the attack, the judge said the conduct was “plainly inconsistent with a loss of control”.
“The only possible conclusion on the evidence is that Clifton George was clearly ready and capable of unreasonable flash rage anger,” he said.
The ruling followed evidence from friends and relatives who described George as an aggressive and bullying partner whose anger frequently erupted over minor issues.
On Wednesday, a jury took just two-and-a-half hours to convict him of murder.George nodded slightly in the dock as the verdict was delivered but showed little emotion. Friends of Ms Rook wept in the public gallery.
The court heard that Ms Rook, a charity co-founder and the daughter of retired Old Bailey judge Peter Rook, had repeatedly considered ending the relationship because of George’s behaviour.
In 2023, she tearfully told her father that living with George felt like “walking on eggshells”. Her best friend, Sian Davin, told jurors she believed George needed therapy for his anger issues and described him as prone to “unreasonable flashing rage anger”.
She recounted an incident in which he pushed Ms Rook against a wall and grabbed her by the throat, and said he would fat-shame and gaslight his partner.
Ms Davin said George had a tendency to overreact to trivial matters and had become increasingly controlling. Other witnesses described a pattern of angry outbursts.
Former flatmate Daniel Varani said he chose to move out after George moved into the property because of his temper.
Jurors also heard about incidents in which George became enraged during a dispute at Glastonbury Festival and another occasion when he reacted furiously after Ms Rook washed his chef’s knives and left them to drip dry.
By the summer of 2024, Ms Rook had acknowledged to friends that the relationship had become abusive. Just weeks before her death, she left a message for her sister describing the relationship as “not tenable” and warning: “I fear there will be some more wrath to come.”
Despite her concerns, Ms Rook hoped the separation could be managed amicably.
The court heard she had decided to give George £50,000 to help him secure alternative accommodation, despite being under no legal obligation to do so. She also believed they might remain friends in the future.
On the night of the murder, George had been drinking red wine when an argument broke out over a secret Ms Rook had been keeping from him.
Prosecutor William Emlyn Jones KC told the jury that George first punched Ms Rook, then attempted to strangle her before arming himself with a knife from the kitchen.
“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,” the prosecutor said.
“He lost his temper, and in his rage he murdered Annabel.”
Witnesses heard George repeatedly shouting “she lied” during the attack.
After killing Ms Rook, George slit his wrists before setting the fire that caused the explosion.
Emergency services responding to reports of the blast discovered George lying injured on the kitchen floor while Ms Rook’s body was found in the living room. The court heard he later attempted to stab himself with a shard of broken glass.
During the trial, George sought to portray himself as the victim in the relationship and claimed Ms Rook had bullied him over childhood traumas, including discovering his infant sister dead and later being taken into care following abuse by his mother.
He alleged that Ms Rook had provoked him during the final argument and claimed she had pushed his face. The prosecution rejected those claims, arguing that the evidence demonstrated a sustained pattern of coercive and abusive behaviour by George.
Ms Rook’s death prompted an outpouring of tributes from friends, colleagues and members of the community. She was the co-founder of MamaSuze, a charity supporting refugee and migrant women, including survivors of domestic and sexual violence, through creative programmes and community activities.
In a statement released after her death, her family said: “She touched the hearts of so many. She gave her life to helping the vulnerable and the disadvantaged.”
Following the verdict, Crown Prosecution Service prosecutor Catherine Gould said: “Our thoughts are with the family and loved ones of Annabel Rook. It is devastating that her life was taken in such a violent manner in her own home by someone she should have been able to trust.
“Clifton George sought to minimise his actions by claiming he had lost control. However, the evidence demonstrated that after assaulting Ms Rook, he retrieved a knife and returned to continue the attack, and the prosecution was able to prove the necessary intent for murder.
“We worked closely with the police to build the strongest possible case and to deliver justice for Annabel. We know that nothing can replace Annabel but hope that this verdict can bring some small measure of comfort to those who knew and loved her.”
George, who has been in custody since the killing, is due to be sentenced on June 9.
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