'If it could happen to Annabel, it could happen to any of us'

A significant story is unfolding on the international scene. 'If it could happen to Annabel, it could happen to any of us'45 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleSonja JessupLondon home affairs correspondentFamily handoutAnnabel Rook was known for her work supporting vulnerable women, but was murdered by her own partnerAnnabel Rook had dedicated her life to protecting vulnerable women, yet her own life was ended violently by her controlling partner, in the home they shared together. "I'm sure the irony is not lost on people," Annabel's father, Peter Rook, says. "Because here she was, the great safeguarder of women.

But who was safeguarding her, at her time of need? "Annabel, 46, was stabbed 31 times by her partner of 10 years, Clifton George, at their home in Stoke Newington, north London, in June last year, after she had tried to end their relationship. He had punched and tried to strangle her, and then started a fire that triggered a gas canister blast.

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George, 45, was found guilty of murder following a trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court and on Tuesday was jailed for life with a minimum of 23 years. Annabel's parents Peter and Susanna Rook, along with her childhood friend Catherine Milne, say the case highlights the complexity of recognising abuse and the heightened danger to women trying to leave a volatile partner. "She really was the most brilliantly funny, exuberant, hilarious, intelligent, compassionate person, and she was also incredibly dynamic and powerful, and if this could happen to her, it could happen to any of us," Milne says.

Milne had been friends with Annabel since the age of eight, and the pair had volunteered together in Ghana, before founding the group MamaSuze in Islington, which helps refugee and migrant women - some of whom have fled domestic violence - through art and drama. "She was the leader of our community, and I wonder if somewhere that was also part of the reason her partner ended up hating her so much," says Milne. "I think he really resented how loved she was, and how revered she was, and how adored she was, and that was actually part of why he wanted to destroy her.

"Family handoutAnnabel's family say her death highlights how controlling behaviour can turn to physical violenceAlthough George admitted manslaughter and arson, he denied murder, blaming the killing on a loss of self-control. But Annabel's family and friends gave evidence to the jury of his aggressive bullying and angry outbursts over trivial matters. By the end of the trial, the judge, Mr Justice Constable KC, had ruled that George's defence could not be relied on, thanks to "overwhelming" evidence of his short temper and a pattern of abuse.

For Annabel's father Peter, a retired judge, the trial was a "gruelling" experience. "I was a judge at the Old Bailey from 2005, for many years, and I've tried many homicide cases," he says. "But of course I never thought that I'd be playing the role of a witness or indeed the father of the deceased in a murder case, and of course it gives one insight.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.