This is the first picture of a mother-of-two who was fatally stabbed at her north London home which was then destroyed in an ‘explosion’.
The victim, named locally as human rights lawyer Annabel Rook, was found at her two storey Victorian terrace after emergency services were scrambled in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Ms Rook’s two children, aged seven and nine, were not harmed and are believed to have been out of the property in Dumont Road at the time.
A man, 44, who was known to her, has been arrested on suspicion of murdering the 46-year-old. Police are not looking for anyone else in relation to the incident.
Ms Rook was a charity worker for female migrants and children refugees 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, who worked with the organisation for more than 20 years, 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.’
A neighbour told Metro: ‘I knew she worked in the charity sector. She was obviously a very good person and you could see she was caring. I just can’t understand how this can have happened to a person like her.’
Neighbours reported hearing a sound like a ‘bomb going off’ while one woman ran to the house and banged desperately on the front door shouting ‘open the door’ repeatedly.
Pictures from the scene show the badly-damaged home with charred walls.
Witness Bhikha Maisuria, 68, told Metro: ‘There was a “boom” like a bomb going off. There was glass flying everywhere. It was horrific.
‘The lady who died was very nice and looked like a great mother. We are all devastated.’
Another neighbour said: ‘The kids went to the local school they seemed the perfect family. They had been here a while and fitted in the community. She seemed a very positive person and words cannot express how upset we are around here.’
Another said: ‘She was just a beautiful woman we are gutted and devastated.’
Forensics officers are on the scene trawling for clues.
Detective Chief Superintendent Brittany Clarke, who leads policing in the local area, said: “This is an extremely tragic incident and our thoughts are with the victim’s family at this very difficult time.
“Our officers arrested a man on suspicion of murder at the scene and will be conducting interviews as soon as possible, to establish the full circumstances that led to Annabel’s death. While enquiries continue, at this early stage we do believe this to be a domestic-related incident.
“We understand what happened will cause concern within the Hackney community and residents can expect to see an increased police presence in the area, along with a crime scene, as we carry out the investigation. We are working closely alongside our partners at Hackney Council to help support those residents locally who have been impacted by this.”
‘Two children ages 9 and 7 have also been taken to hospital as a precaution but are not believed to have been inside the property at the time of the gas explosion.
‘Local road closures are in place while enquiries continue. There are also additional officers on patrol in the local area.’
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