A family has paid tribute to a ‘truly wonderful’ mum who was stabbed to death before her home was blown up.
Annabel Rook, 46, was killed at her terrace house in Hackney, North London.
Emergency services rushed to the property at 4.57am on Tuesday, June 17, following reports of a gas explosion.
The human rights lawyer, 46, was sadly declared dead at the scene by paramedics.
Sign up for all of the latest stories
Start your day informed with Metro’s News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.
Her two children, aged seven and nine, were not thought to be in the house at the time and are unharmed.
Annabel’s family said in a statement: ‘The family are 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. 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 has been arrested on suspicion murder and remains in custody after he was discharged from hospital.
Annabel was co-founder of MamaSuze, a charity which runs arts workshops and was set up to ‘enhance the survivors of forced displacement and gender based violence’.
The charity wrote in a statement: ‘We are devastated by the loss of our beloved MamaSuze co founder.
‘Annabel was a force for good in the world dedicating her life to supporting women survivors.
‘She started MamaSuze to bring art creativity and joy to women in the UK fleeing violence and gimme trafficking treating everyone she met with warmth and kindness. The entire MamaSuze community is in a state of profound shock.’
On her LinkedIn page, Annabel wrote: ‘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.’
Her neighbours reported hearing a sound like a ‘bomb going off’ the night of her stabbing. Pictures of Annabel’s home showed it severely damaged by the explosion with walls charred and windows smashed.
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.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.