Latest news with #DumontRoad
Daily Mail
8 hours ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Mother-of-two charity hero named as 'murder' victim found in £1.4million Stoke Newington gas explosion house as police continue to quiz man, 44
This is the first picture of the charity hero mother-of-two who was found stabbed to death inside her London home. Annabel Rook, 46, was found with knife wounds at her three-bed Victorian home in Dumont Road after emergency crews had rushed to the property following reports of a gas explosion. Today shocked neighbours told how they heard a scream coming from the home before a blast which shattered the front bay window. Two children, aged 9 and 7, have been taken to hospital as a precautionary measure but are not believed to have been inside the property at the time of the explosion. Scotland Yard murder detectives arrested a 44-year-old man at the address. He was taken to hospital to be treated for slash wounds which are not believed to be life-threatening or life-changing. Land Registry documents show Ms Rook bought the property for £816,000 in 2012. She had worked tirelessly to support female migrants and children refugees for two decades and co-founded creative community group MamaSuze. The group provides weekly arts-based workshops with a post on its Instagram saying it 'exists to enhance the survivors of forced displacement and gender based violence'. Ms Rook wrote on her LinkedIn page: 'I have been working with marginalised and displaced people for over 20 years. I believe the ability to play and create should be a fundamental human right and in my work I aim to enable people to be creative and help them find their voice.' The former project director of 16 years at Pan Intercultural Arts also helped to set up female choral group Amies Freedom Choir, whose members are all survivors of modern slavery. Neighbours came out onto the street wearing their pyjamas after hearing a loud bang 'like somebody had dropped a massive glass cabinet from a crane'. They quickly dialled 999 with emergency crews racing to the area following reports a person was trapped inside. One woman, living on an adjacent road for more than 50 years, said that nothing like this had ever happened before. 'It's very sad,' she said. 'I feel sorry for the woman, but especially for the kids. They will never be the same again. 'I've never seen anything like this before, and I've been here nearly 60 years. 'Nothing like this has ever happened before. It's so shocking. I will never be able to look at that house again. I can't believe something like this has happened.' One man said his neighbour told him they were awoken by a 'scream' this morning, saying: 'They heard the scream, then the bang. 'I was only awoken by the fire engines.' An elderly man living on Dumont Road added that though he didn't know the victim by name, he recognised her as a neighbour who he would see taking her two young children to the local primary school. 'She passed along with her two children,' the man said. 'I don't know her otherwise.' Halil Youdjel, who lives near the house, described the scene following the suspected gas explosion. The 29-year-old said: 'It was 5.50am I was asleep and suddenly bang. 'At the beginning I thought someone hit the wall with the car. I looked out the window and saw smoke coming out of the house and saw glass shattered. 'By the time I got out police and ambulance were called and they arrived in two minutes. The whole flat was shaking and there was loads of smoke. 'I heard screams but it was from other neighbours who were panicking. 'It was like no one was there. It was very quiet. The family who live there have two kids and I see them around sometimes. 'I have lived here for three years and nothing like this has ever happened. It's always very peaceful and there are never any complaints. 'It's very shocking.' Pictures taken by MailOnline at the scene show the front downstairs bay window blown out, with the wooden shutters and glass scattered across the street. One neighbour, who did not want to be named, said: 'I looked out and saw panes of glass on the floor. You could tell it wasn't a car window. 'Eventually I noticed the beam on the bay window was missing and could see some mild smoke coming out of the back. 'People starting arriving and saying to phone the police. There was a guy rushing around, very distraught. He went round the back.' Another neighbour said he thought he was dreaming when a loud bang woke him at about 4.50am. 'We went out in the street and there was glass all over,' he said. 'We walked to the house and the front window was blown in. It was very quick that the emergency services came. 'We didn't know [the people living in the house], but their next door neighbours did.' He added: 'I couldn't smell any gas and there was no fire as well. 'I think maybe there was some fire in the basement and some smoke came out, but that was about an hour after the event.' The house, a terrace on the corner of Dumont Road, was surrounded by police, firefighters and gas workers later in the morning. A 76-year-old neighbour said: 'I was asleep upstairs and heard a sudden bang then I saw from the curtain all the glass all on the floor. 'I was worried. Everybody on the street came out in their pyjamas.' Another neighbour said: 'I'm pretty sure it was two bangs I heard. There was lots of glass shattering. 'I knew it wasn't a car crashing because it sounded like lots of glasses had been smashed on the floor.' Another local woman, who didn't hear the explosion, said: 'On our local WhatsApp group, nobody seems to know what happened. 'The first thing we saw was a news report at 7.30am.' Told a murder investigation had been launched by Scotland Yard, the woman added: 'That's awful. Really sad.' Another woman added: 'It's a lovely road, but I guess things like this can happen anywhere. It's really good the kids are alright.' A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: 'We were called today at 4.46am to reports of an incident in Dumont Road, Stoke Newington, N16. 'We sent resources to the scene including ambulance crews, a paramedic in a response car, an advanced paramedic practitioner, members of our hazardous area response team (HART) and London's air ambulance. 'Sadly, despite our best efforts, a woman was pronounced dead at the scene. A man was taken to a London major trauma centre. Two children were taken to hospital for a precautionary assessment.' Stoke Newington Church Street and the adjacent Kersley Road are also shut in both directions whilst enquiries are carried out. Multiple buses are on diversion, Transport for London has confirmed. The 393 and 476 are stopping on Stoke Newington Church Street and will reroute via Stamford Hill, Seven Sisters Road and Green Lanes. Motorists and pedestrians had been warned to avoid the area for most of this morning. LFB station commander Darren McTernan said: 'Motorists and pedestrians are advised to avoid the area for most of this morning while investigations into the cause of this incident are carried out. 'There are road closures in place on Stoke Newington Church Street from the junction of the A10 to Defoe Road. Residents should also note that Kersley Road is completely shut at this time.' Crews from Stoke Newington, Islington, Homerton and Holloway fire stations were called to the scene.
The Independent
9 hours ago
- The Independent
Woman found fatally stabbed in house after gas explosion
A woman has died after being found with stab wounds inside a house where a gas explosion took place. The 46-year-old was found fatally injured inside a house in Dumont Road, Stoke Newington, north-east London, just before 5am on Tuesday, the Metropolitan Police said. A 44-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder, and has been taken to hospital to be treated for slash wounds. Two children aged seven and nine were also taken to hospital as a precaution, but are not thought to have been inside the home when the explosion happened. Neighbours described the noise as the explosion tore through the house. A resident on Dumont Road said he heard a crash 'like somebody dropped a massive glass cabinet from a crane'. The man, who did not want to be named, added: 'I looked out and saw panes of glass on the floor. You could tell it wasn't a car window. 'Eventually I noticed the beam on the bay window was missing and could see some mild smoke coming out of the back. ' People starting arriving and saying to phone the police. 'There was a guy rushing around, very distraught. He went round the back.' Six fire engines and 40 firefighters were called to the scene early on Tuesday, where road closures remain in place. The house, a terrace on the corner of Dumont Road, was surrounded by police, firefighters and gas workers later in the morning. The front bay window was completely blown out, with debris including plants, wooden shutters and glass scattered across the street. A 76-year-old neighbour said: 'I was asleep upstairs and heard a sudden bang then I saw from the curtain all the glass all on the floor. 'I was worried. Everybody on the street came out in their pyjamas.' Another neighbour said: 'I'm pretty sure it was two bangs I heard. There was lots of glass shattering. 'I knew it wasn't a car crashing because it sounded like lots of glasses had been smashed on the floor.' The Metropolitan Police said there will be additional patrols in the area while the investigation continues. Matteo Prodava, a 35-year-old production designer who lives across from the house, said: 'You hear these things that happen in the world, but when it happens on the next street, it has a different impact.' Another resident in Kersley Road, near Dumont Road – who did not want to be named, said she was in shock. She said: 'That is so sad. I just want to cry. I have never heard of something like this happening here. I am just in shock. 'I feel sorry for the kids; what sort of news is this? We just thought we couldn't move the cars and there's been a gas explosion. 'Now, I don't know what to say.' Anyone with information can call police on 101 quoting CAD 926/17June or to remain anonymous contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online.
