Electrician stabbed partner 31 times in frenzied rage before blowing up their home | UK | News

An electrician who stabbed a judge’s daughter to death in a frenzied rage and then blew up her house with a gas explosion has been sentenced to life in prison. 45-year-old Clifton George stabbed his partner, 46-year-old Annabel Rook, 31 times to death during a fight at their home in east London, after she said they had to end their 10-year relationship. Following the murder, George started a fire in the basement to cause a gas canister to explode, which ripped the house apart, causing approximately £400,000 in damage.

At Snaresbrook Crown Court on Tuesday, His Honor Judge KC sentenced George to life imprisonment and ordered him to serve a minimum of 23 years before he is eligible for release. He said George had the ability to be friendly and funny, but there was “another disturbing side to your character.”

“An overwhelming picture has emerged of your anger, irritability and volatility,” the judge said, adding that George had a “marked temper” that could be triggered by trivial matters and “perceived slights”.

Speaking about Ms Rook, the judge said she “shined brightly” in the testimonies of friends and family as “someone who was kind, attentive, funny and altruistically motivated and whose instinct was to support, listen and improve the lives of others”.

He rejected George’s claim at the hearing that he was provoked by Mrs Rook pushing him; The judge said this would be “completely out of character”. He said: “He was afraid of you, he was afraid of your wrath. In your anger and rage, you brutally stabbed Annabel to death.”

He added that even after the murder and explosion, George was “stuck in his selfish belief that Annabel betrayed you.”

Miss Rook’s father, retired Old Bailey judge Peter Rook, branded George “completely selfish”, while her mother Susanna Rook described him as “an evil, completely narcissistic, damaged person”.

Making a victim impact statement in court, Ms Rook held back tears as she hailed her daughter as “optimistic, inclusive and full of fun”.

“We know we can never come to terms with his death, and life without him is painful and hard to bear,” he said. “We feel that Clifton betrayed the trust we had in him. We welcomed him into the family in every way possible. We understand that his short-lived fuse, especially when drinking, and his inability to understand and solve his own problems, mean that he is, is and will continue to be a dangerous man.”

Miss Rook’s sister Sophie told the court: “Without Annabel there would be less joy and less hope.”

He said his sister’s murder left the family “with the painful question of whether we could have done more to help her escape.”

George was found guilty in the murder trial and admitted committing arson after stabbing his partner to death and triggering a gas explosion.

He attempted to argue that he had lost self-control as a partial defense against murder, but this failed due to his short-lived fuse, angry outbursts towards Miss Rook during their relationship, and at least one incident in which he became violent towards her.

Sophie Rook has described the pain of listening to George’s defense case and said George’s attempts to pin the blame on her felt like her sister being attacked again.

Ms Rook was the co-founder of social enterprise MamaSuze, which helps refugee women and children through creative arts workshops.

George killed her at their home in Dumont Road, Stoke Newington, on the night of June 16 last year, punching and strangling her and then arming her with a kitchen knife.

George was heard shouting “you lied” as he carried out the murder and the court heard he flew into a rage after discovering Miss Rook had kept a secret from him that had been told to him in confidence.

Following the murder, George triggered a gas explosion that neighbors likened to a “mini-earthquake”, which ripped through the property and blew off part of the roof.

Before the fatal stabbing, Mrs Rook had told George they needed to separate and move out of their home, which she owned.

But he had planned to give his partner £50,000 to find a new home and had hopes they would continue holidaying together in the future.