Overview
- The fatal attack took place at the couple’s home in Dumont Road, Stoke Newington, in June 2025 when Annabel Rook, 46, was found dead after a house explosion and Clifton George was discovered injured outside.
- On Wednesday George gave evidence at Snaresbrook Crown Court saying he ‘lost control’ during a row, admitted killing Rook but denies murder and has pleaded guilty to manslaughter and arson.
- George told jurors he stabbed Rook and then tried to end his own life by igniting a gas canister, saying the resulting blast blew him across the house and left him badly injured.
- Prosecutors say the attack was deliberate, alleging he grabbed Rook by the neck and stabbed her about 22 times, and they have played forensic evidence and voice notes showing relationship tensions and Rook’s plans to leave.
- The jury must now decide whether the killing amounts to murder or to loss-of-control manslaughter, a legal distinction that will turn on George’s account of his state of mind and the prosecution’s forensic case.