Man sentenced to life for murdering and blowing up home

A man has been sentenced to life in prison for murdering his partner and then causing a gas explosion at their north London home. Clifton George, 45, was ordered to serve a minimum of 23 years at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, for the killing of Annabel Rook, 46.

George stabbed Ms. Rook 31 times in the living room of their home on Dumont Road in Stoke Newington on the night of June 16, 2025. The attack occurred during an argument after Ms. Rook told him she was ending their ten-year relationship. Following the murder, George started a fire in the basement, triggering a gas canister explosion that ripped through the property, causing extensive damage.

During his trial, George denied murder and attempted to claim a partial defense of loss of self-control. Prosecutors presented evidence that he punched and throttled Ms. Rook before going to the kitchen, retrieving a knife, and returning to stab her. The court heard that George had flown into a rage after learning Ms. Rook had kept a secret from him. Judge Adam Constable KC rejected the defense, citing overwhelming evidence of George's history of anger, volatility, and abuse directed at Ms. Rook. The judge stated...