A 45-year-old Crossrail worker accused of murdering his 46-year-old partner denied murder and said he did not have a “short fuse.” He admitted manslaughter and arson. He claimed the killing resulted from a loss of self-control during a relationship marked by frequent arguments. He told the court that his partner repeatedly insulted him and threatened to end the relationship over minor issues, and that she would shout and point in his face. Prosecutors alleged he harboured unreasonable rage, lost his temper often, grabbed her around the neck, and stabbed her 22 times with a kitchen knife before a fire triggered a gas canister blast.
"“I don't think I've got a short fuse. Yes, I have lost my temper, but not often. If we were having an argument, I would raise my voice back.”"
"Prosecutors allege George grabbed his partner around the neck and stabbed her 22 times with a kitchen knife as their relationship was crumbling. Rook co-founded a London-based social enterprise, MamaSuze, which supports refugee and migrant women through art and drama workshops. George told jurors he worked as an electrician on Crossrail, the Northern Line extension and the Leadenhall Building, known as the Cheese Grater."
"Giving evidence at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Tuesday, George accused Rook of repeatedly “throwing insults” at him about the abuse he suffered as a child at the hands of his mother. He claimed she would “flip out” and threaten to end their relationship “over minor issues”, and would shout and point in his face during rows."
"He admitted manslaughter and arson but denied murder, blaming the killing on a loss of self-control. Clifton George, 45, stabbed charity worker Annabel Rook, 46, to death at their home in Dumont Road, Stoke Newington, north London, before starting a fire that set off a gas canister blast."
Read at www.bbc.com
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