Annabel Rook: Tributes to charity worker found stabbed to death in house after gas explosion
A charity has paid tribute to a former employee after she was found stabbed to death following a gas explosion at a house in London.
Annabel Rook, 46, was found fatally injured at a property in Dumont Road, Stoke Newington, north-east London, just before 5am on Tuesday.
A 44-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and police have described the victim's death as "a domestic-related incident".
Ms Rook worked at PAN Intercultural Arts - an organisation which holds arts workshops to help young people including refugees - for 16 years until 2022.
John Martin, its artistic director, said: "She came to learn the techniques that we had to work with young refugees, and soon we took her on as a full artist, as a facilitator, to run workshops for us with unaccompanied asylum seekers, especially minors, and with young refugees.
"She brought lots of happiness and joy, and I've had many, many of them [the refugees] who've heard the news get back to me last night and today to say how devastated they are."
Ms Rook went on to form a pioneering group, named the Amies project, which uses the arts, drama and creative writing to help traumatised female survivors of trafficking.
"Annabel's energy brought a lot to the women and gave them new hope," Mr Martin said.
"This was her speciality, I think - a sort of a boundless optimism, a boundless self-confidence, which she transferred onto other people."
Mr Martin said he last saw Ms Rook at a charity event in London around a month ago, where she was "very friendly and ebullient as always".
More recently, Ms Rook co-founded MamaSuze CIC, a charity that supports refugee and migrant women, some of whom have fled domestic violence, with art and drama activities.
The organisation said it was "devastated by the loss of our beloved co-founder" who treated everyone with "warmth and kindness".
In the statement shared on Tuesday, it added: "Annabel was a profound force for good in the world, dedicating her working life to supporting women survivors."
Six fire engines were called to the scene of the gas explosion.
The front bay window had been blown out, with debris including plants and glass scattered across the street.
Two children, aged seven and nine, were taken to hospital as a precaution but are not thought to have been inside the property at the time.
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