Woman found stabbed in house explosion ‘gave her life to helping the vulnerable'
A woman who was found stabbed following a gas explosion at her home 'gave her life to helping the vulnerable and the disadvantaged', her family has said.
Annabel Rook, 46, was found fatally injured at a house in Dumont Road, Stoke Newington, north-east London, just before 5am on Tuesday.
Ms Rook worked for charity MamaSuze CIC, which she co-founded, that supported refugee and migrant women, some who had fled domestic violence, with art and drama activities.
In a statement issued via the Metropolitan Police, her family said they were 'struggling to come to terms with this terrible tragedy'.
'We have lost our beautiful daughter, sister, friend and mother. Annabel was a truly wonderful woman,' the tribute read.
'She touched the hearts of so many.
'She gave her life to helping the vulnerable and the disadvantaged whether it was in refugee camps in Africa or setting up MamaSuze in London, to enhance the lives of survivors of forced displacement and gender-based violence.
'We would really appreciate it if our privacy could be respected.'
A 44-year-old man was arrested at the address on suspicion of murder with police previously describing the victim's death as 'a domestic-related incident'.
He was later discharged and released into police custody, the force said.
John Martin, artistic director of PAN Intercultural Arts, where Ms Rook worked with young refugees for 16 years until 2022, previously described her as 'a larger-than-life character' who joined the charity as a volunteer with lots of energy.
In a personal tribute, Mr Martin told the PA news agency: 'Annabel's energy brought a lot to the women and gave them new hope.
'This was her speciality, I think – a sort of a boundless optimism, a boundless self-confidence, which she transferred onto other people.'
'She spent her life, certainly the 10, 12 years that I knew her, fighting against women who had been abused, fighting against violence to women, and the irony is that she then suffered from violence to women in the way that she died yesterday,' he said.
MamaSuze said in a statement shared on Tuesday that it was 'devastated by the loss of our beloved co-founder' and that she treated everyone with 'warmth and kindness'.
'Annabel was a profound force for good in the world, dedicating her working life to supporting women survivors,' it added.
Police were called at 04.57am on Tuesday to reports of a gas explosion with a person trapped inside the property.
The front bay window of the property was completely blown out that morning, with debris including plants, wooden shutters and glass scattered across the street.
Two children, aged seven and nine, were also taken to hospital as a precaution following the incident but are not thought to have been inside the home when the explosion happened.
Six fire engines and 40 firefighters were also called to the scene.
Anyone with information that could assist the investigation into the incident has been urged to contact police on 101 quoting CAD 926/17June.
Alternatively, information can be provided anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
39 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Sir Mark Rowley ‘shocked' at planned protest in support of Palestine Action
Sir Mark Rowley said he was 'shocked and frustrated' at a planned protest in support of Palestine Action, as the Government moves to ban the group. The Metropolitan Police Commissioner said a protest supporting the 'organised extremist criminal group' was due to take place in Westminster on Monday. He said until the group is proscribed the force has 'no power in law' to prevent the protest taking place, adding that breaches of the law would be 'dealt with robustly'. The act of vandalism committed at RAF Brize Norton is disgraceful. Our Armed Forces represent the very best of Britain and put their lives on the line for us every day. It is our responsibility to support those who defend us. — Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) June 20, 2025 The Home Secretary will update Parliament on Monday on the Government's plan to ban Palestine Action following the group's vandalism of two planes at an RAF base. Yvette Cooper will provide MPs with more details on the move to proscribe the group, making it a criminal offence to belong to or support it, in a written ministerial statement. The decision comes after the group posted footage online showing two people inside the base at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. The clip shows one person riding an electric scooter up to an Airbus Voyager air-to-air refuelling tanker and appearing to spray paint into its jet engine. The incident is being investigated by counter-terror police. In a statement on Sunday, Sir Mark said: 'I'm sure many people will be as shocked and frustrated as I am to see a protest taking place tomorrow in support of Palestine Action. 'This is an organised extremist criminal group, whose proscription as terrorists is being actively considered. 'Members are alleged to have caused millions of pounds of criminal damage, assaulted a police officer with a sledgehammer and last week claimed responsibility for breaking into an airbase and damaging aircraft. Multiple members of the group are awaiting trial accused of serious offences. 'The right to protest is essential and we will always defend it, but actions in support of such a group go beyond what most would see as legitimate protest. 'Thousands of people attend protests of a different character every week without clashing with the law or with the police. The criminal charges faced by Palestine Action members, in contrast, represent a form of extremism that I believe the overwhelming majority of the public rejects. 'We have laid out to Government the operational basis on which to consider proscribing this group. If that happens we will be determined to target those who continue to act in its name and those who show support for it. 'Until then we have no power in law to prevent tomorrow's protest taking place. We do, however, have the power to impose conditions on it to prevent disorder, damage, and serious disruption to the community, including to Parliament, to elected representatives moving around Westminster and to ordinary Londoners. 'Breaches of the law will be dealt with robustly.' A spokesperson for Palestine Action previously accused the UK of failing to meet its obligation to prevent or punish genocide. The spokesperson said: 'When our Government fails to uphold their moral and legal obligations, it is the responsibility of ordinary citizens to take direct action. The terrorists are the ones committing a genocide, not those who break the tools used to commit it.' Cabinet minister Jonathan Reynolds said he could not rule out the possibility of a foreign power being behind Palestine Action. The Business and Trade Secretary told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: 'It is extremely concerning they gained access to that base and the Defence Secretary is doing an immediate review of how that happened. 'The actions that they undertook at Brize Norton were also completely unacceptable and it's not the first. It's the fourth attack by that group on a key piece of UK defence infrastructure.' The Home Secretary has the power to proscribe an organisation under the Terrorism Act of 2000 if she believes it is 'concerned in terrorism'. Don't forget about Gaza. While the world is distracted, almost 400 people – queueing for food – have been gunned down by Israeli forces. You don't accidentally kill 400 people waiting for aid, they have been deliberately massacred. The UK must end all arms sales to Israel now. — Humza Yousaf (@HumzaYousaf) June 19, 2025 Proscription will require Ms Cooper to lay an order in Parliament, which must then be debated and approved by both MPs and peers. Some 81 organisations have been proscribed under the 2000 Act, including Islamist terrorist groups such as Hamas and al Qaida, far-right groups such as National Action, and Russian private military company the Wagner Group. Former justice secretary Lord Charlie Falconer said vandalising aircraft at RAF Brize Norton would not solely provide legal justification for proscribing the group. Asked whether the group's actions were commensurate with proscription, Lord Falconer told Sky News's Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips: 'I am not aware of what Palestine Action has done beyond the painting of things on the planes in Brize Norton, they may have done other things I didn't know. 'But generally, that sort of demonstration wouldn't justify proscription so there must be something else that I don't know about.' Former Scottish first minister Humza Yousaf said the Government was 'abusing' anti-terror laws against pro-Palestine activists, as tens of thousands of protesters marched in London on Saturday. Belonging to or expressing support for a proscribed organisation, along with a number of other actions, are criminal offences carrying a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. Home Secretary @YvetteCooperMP is banning Palestine Action. We are pleased that the Home Secretary has listened to our representations over the last week. Nobody should be surprised that those who vandalised Jewish premises with impunity have now been emboldened to sabotage RAF… — Campaign Against Antisemitism (@antisemitism) June 20, 2025 The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) welcomed the news that Ms Cooper intended to proscribe Palestine Action, saying: 'Nobody should be surprised that those who vandalised Jewish premises with impunity have now been emboldened to sabotage RAF jets.' Former home secretary Suella Braverman also said it was 'absolutely the correct decision'. A pro-Palestine protester at Saturday's march in central London said it was 'absolutely horrendous' that the Government was preparing to ban Palestine Action. Artist Hannah Woodhouse, 61, told the PA news agency: 'Counter-terrorism measures, it seems, are being used against non-violent peace protesters. 'The peace activists are trying to do the Government's job, which is to disarm Israel.' Palestine Action has staged a series of demonstrations in recent months, including spraying the London offices of Allianz Insurance with red paint over its alleged links to Israeli defence company Elbit, and vandalising Donald Trump's Turnberry golf course in South Ayrshire.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
"We heard a huge bang": Roof obliterated as fire ravages house with five rushed to hospital
Residents told of the moment they heard a 'huge bang' after a fire ravaged a home in Bury on Sunday evening (June 22). The roof of one home on Sandgate Road was left scorched and exposed after the blaze, which saw five people rushed to hospital from the scene at around 5pm. Emergency services, including police, fire crews and paramedics, were scrambled to the residential street following reports of the blaze at a 'domestic property.' Five people were assessed at the scene before being taken to hospital. The full extent of their injuries is not yet known. READ MORE: Live updates as M60 remains closed due to ongoing 'police incident' READ MORE: LIVE: Huge emergency services presence as five rushed to hospital in house fire - updates Join the Manchester Evening News WhatsApp group HERE Pictures from the scene showed the road taped off with multiple fire engines in attendance, along with police vans. Officers were stationed at either end of the cordon as fire crews were seen entering and conducting investigations at the home. One family who live nearby said they heard a 'huge bang' that they described to being 'like massive fireworks going off' shortly before 5pm. Moments later they saw smoke filling the air and the roof of the house obliterated. 'We just heard this huge bang," they said. "We can see it from our window. It was like massive fireworks going off. "Then we saw all the smoke and the fire brigade before we knew it. It looks like it spread from the house next door." The roof of the home was exposed and smoking on Sunday evening, with the attic of the property seeming to have been the worst hit by the blaze. It's cause has not been confirmed. In a statement, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) said: 'At just before 5pm today (Sunday 22 June) fire crews were called to reports of a fire at a domestic property on Sandgate Road, Whitefield. 'Six fire engines from Manchester Central, Whitefield, Heywood, Salford, Broughton and Agecroft quickly attended the incident. Firefighters used eight breathing apparatus and two hose reels to extinguish the fire. 'Five people were assessed at the scene and then conveyed to hospital by North West Ambulance Service. Crews remain in attendance.' Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) have been contacted for more information.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Swinney urged to increase powers for authorities in bid to tackle knife crime
Parents have called on First Minister John Swinney to hand increased powers to the authorities for tackling and punishing youth knife crime. On Sunday, a march against knife violence took place throughout the streets of Glasgow. The Parents Against Knives were joined on the march, which started at 1pm, by the family of Kory McCrimmon, who died after an attack involving a bladed weapon on May 31 2024. His family previously said the 16-year-old's life 'will not be in vain' as they urged others to join the march. The 16-year-old died after he was found seriously injured in Greenfield Park in the east end of Glasgow. A 14-year-old was last month sentenced to five years' detention after admitting culpable homicide. Speaking from Barrowfield Community Centre in Glasgow, Kory's father, Neil McCrimmon, told the PA news agency that knife crime has always been a problem in Scotland, but said it has changed in recent years, and that the Scottish Government must act to address the problem. He said: 'Knife crime has always been here, there's no getting away from that. If you go back to the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s, but it's different today. 'This is our children we're talking about, and this is where Mr Swinney needs to make changes. 'They say we should protect children, and by all means we have. 'We've got to safeguard them in every manner, but my point to Mr Swinney is, who is saving the children from the children?' He added: 'And this is the thing, we've not got any deterrent, and the courts, they're no deterrent.' He said the Scottish judicial system's 'hands are tied' with current sentencing guidelines for minors who have committed serious offences, and that the penalty served his son's killer is 'not justice'. He added: 'In my day, you did the crime, you did the time, and that's all we ask for: justice, and justice hasn't been served in our case. 'The other matter is the police. Mr Swinney will tell you the police have got their powers, but the police will tell you they haven't. They've not got the powers when it comes to children. 'So Mr Swinney, give the police their powers, make a difference, that is all we ask.' The march was organised by Kory's aunt, Jackie McTaggart, who says she wants to set up a meeting with the First Minister as a starting point to tackling knife crime, particularly among youths. She said: 'We want to speak to the First Minister and the Justice Secretary, so we're hoping we'll get that soon, and now we've said it publicly in the media. 'We're hoping that's the next step, so we can sit and speak to them and get everybody involved, like the police, the social work department, the youth workers, the school teachers, everybody. 'If we get them all working with our youth, then hopefully we can make a change and make a difference.' The march came in the wake of the deaths of teenagers Amen Teklay and Kayden Moy in separate incidents in recent weeks. Two boys aged 14 and 16 have appeared in court charged with murder following the death of 15-year-old Amen in the Maryhill area of Glasgow on March 5. Kayden, 16, was found seriously injured on Irvine beach in North Ayrshire after police were called to the area at about 6.45pm on May 17. A 14-year-old boy and two 17-year-old boys have appeared in court charged with murder following his death. The Parents Against Knives march set off from Rangers' Ibrox stadium and those taking part were walking to Celtic Park in the east end of the city. Kate Wallace, chief executive of Victim Support Scotland, said: 'Too many lives are being devastated by knife crime in Scotland. 'Behind every statistic, hundreds of lives are irreversibly impacted with tragic consequences for everyone involved: family, friends, siblings, school mates and the wider communities in which we all live. 'We support the Parents Against Knives walk, organised entirely by the McCrimmon family in memory of their son Kory, which will undoubtedly help draw attention to this growing crisis. 'These are complex and sensitive situations which require a multi-agency response from the Scottish Government, victim support organisations, police, social work, youth work and others to work together to tackle knife crime and the devastation it causes. People across Scotland deserve to feel safe in their own communities.' Mr Swinney said: 'We stand in solidarity with all those who took part in the Parents Against Knives march in Glasgow and my heartfelt condolences go to Kory McCrimmon's family and every family who has suffered unimaginable loss due to knife crime. 'As a father, I find the thought of any parent having to endure the grief and trauma of losing a child to knife crime utterly heartbreaking. Glasgow is united and Scotland is united in wanting these horrific incidents to stop. 'We owe it to every family affected to take meaningful action. That's why we have increased investment in prevention, support and enforcement; from record funding for Police Scotland to vital work by Medics Against Violence and the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit. We stand with the families marching and we are committed to driving the change that keeps our young people safe.'
