Images show North London home wrecked by gas explosion after woman stabbed to death

The explosion took place at a home in Stoke Newington in June last year

A gas explosion compared to a “mini earthquake” which was triggered by a suspected murderer tore through floorboards and blew the roof off a kitchen extension, images from court have revealed.

Clifton George, 45, is accused of killing his partner of ten years, Annabel Rook, at their home in Stoke Newington before starting a fire designed to blow up a gas canister in the basement. George has admitted manslaughter and arson, but denies murder on the grounds of “loss of control”.

Jurors at Snaresbrook Crown Court were shown pictures of the couple’s home in the aftermath of the gas explosion, which took place on June 17 last year. Prosecutor William Emlyn Jones KC said George was believed to have triggered the blast by setting paper alight on the kitchen hob before carrying it to the basement when the propane gas camping canister was situated.

He said: “The basement, where the explosion was, is directly underneath the living room, where Annabel Rook’s body was lying. The force of the blast lifted the floorboards, shifted the furniture, and caused significant damage to the property and to the house next door. It also made an almighty bang.”

The court has heard George was burned on the back in the explosion, indicating he was walking away from the basement when the blast happened. The couple’s neighbours in Dumont Road, Stoke Newington, North East London, Rhys Sullivan and Harriet Cosby, heard the explosion.

The prosecutor said: “They were woken by what Mr Sullivan called ‘a massive boom’, which felt to him like a mini-earthquake which shook the house.” The couple saw that their adjoining walls had been cracked, there was damage to the brickwork, and tiles were broken in their bathroom.

The images of the explosion aftermath, which have been shown to the jury, show that floorboards were torn through, windows were shattered, and the roof of the kitchen extension was blown off.

Ms Rook was the co-founder of a London-based social enterprise called MamaSuze, which supports refugee and migrant women with art and drama activities and workshops. Her father is retired Old Bailey judge Peter Rook, who will be a key witness in George’s murder trial.

It is said George was “angry” during a row with Ms Rook, when he punched and strangled her, before inflicting 22 knife wounds, including one to her heart. It is believed she had been dead for several hours when the explosion happened, and George told police he slit his own wrists after the stabbing, which led to him passing out.

Jurors have heard their relationship was deteriorating at the time of her death, and Ms Rook had told George that she wanted him to move out as part of a trial separation. George says his partner had “lied to me”, and because of the shock he says the stabbing happened during a temporary loss of control.

When police arrived, George was found in the garden attempting to stab himself with a shard of glass, the court has heard. George denies murder. The trial continues.

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