Images show destruction from gas canister explosion at £1.4million house ’caused by boyfriend after he stabbed judge’s daughter to death’
A gas explosion resembling a ‘mini-earthquake’ occurred at a £1.4 million house in north London after a man accused of murdering his partner allegedly detonated a gas cylinder in the basement, a court heard.
Jurors at Snaresbrook Crown Court were shown images of the devastation left behind at the Stoke Newington property, with floorboards shattered, windows blown out and the roof of a kitchen extension ripped off by the blast.
Clifton George, 45, is accused of murdering his partner of ten years Annabel Rook, 46, the daughter of retired Old Bailey judge Peter Rook, before setting her on fire to trigger the explosion in the early hours of June 17 last year.
George admits to manslaughter and arson but denies murder, claiming he lost control during a fight.
Prosecutor William Emlyn Jones KC told the jury George was believed to have ignited the paper on the kitchen stove before taking it to the basement where a propane camping gas cylinder was placed just below the living room where Mrs Rook’s body lay.
‘The force of the explosion lifted floorboards, shifted furniture and caused significant damage to the property and the house next door,’ he said.
‘It also created a huge explosion.’
Neighbors Rhys Sullivan and Harriet Cosby said they were shaken awake by the sound of a ‘big explosion’.
Timber inside the £1.4 million property was blown up through the floor and debris was strewn across rooms (pictured)
Annabel Rook appears in a photograph released by the Metropolitan Police
Jurors at Snaresbrook Crown Court were shown shocking images of the devastation left behind at a Stoke Newington property
The explosion shattered floorboards, blew out windows and blew the roof off the kitchen extension.
The court heard Mr Sullivan described the explosion as “like a mini earthquake that shook the house”.
The explosion ripped through terraced houses on Dumont Road, leaving the adjacent property with cracked walls, damaged brickwork and shattered bathroom tiles.
Photographs shown to jurors revealed scenes of devastation inside the £1.4 million property; lumber was blown upwards from the ground, debris was scattered throughout the rooms, and sections of the rear extension ceiling were completely blown away.
The court heard George suffered burns to his back and prosecutors alleged he was walking away from the basement when the gas ignited.
Police and firefighters found George covered in blood in the kitchen around 5 a.m. When asked if anyone else was inside, he allegedly replied, “My wife,” adding that she died “because I killed her.”
He also allegedly told the police: ‘The lady lied to me. ‘I lost it.’
Ms Rook, founder of social enterprise MamaSuze, is reportedly planning to split from George and wants him to move out.
The court heard tensions grew over money and ownership of the house Ms Rook had bought before the relationship began.
Clifton George, 45, admits manslaughter and arson but denies murder, claiming he lost control during the scuffle
Prosecutor William Emlyn Jones KC told the jury George was believed to have ignited the paper in the kitchen before carrying it to the basement
Court heard neighbor Rhys Sullivan likened explosion to ‘a mini earthquake that shook the house’
The adjacent property had cracked walls, damaged brickwork and shattered bathroom tiles
Neighbors Rhys Sullivan and Harriet Cosby said they were shaken awake by a ‘huge explosion’
George allegedly demanded the property be sold and received half the proceeds, even though he had no legal claim to it.
Jurors were also told George obsessively guarded his “showy” kitchen knives, insisting they were cleaned and placed in precise size order on a magnetic rack.
Months before her death, Ms Rook recorded details of the arguments in the Notes app on her phone and told how she feared being shouted at if the knives were not cleaned properly.
‘I always make sure to clean them properly so I don’t get yelled at,’ he wrote.
On the night of the murder, prosecutors said George left the room during an argument to grab the “sharpest and largest” knife from a shelf, then stabbed Ms Rook 22 times, including a fatal heart wound.
Mr Emlyn Jones KC told jurors: ‘He did not continue to punch and strangle her, but left the room to get a more effective weapon.
‘He went to get one of his knives and came back. And then he stabbed Annabel Rook to death.’
The court heard Ms Rook had previously warned friends and family that the separation would ‘get messy and be terrible’.
George denies murder. The trial continues.
