A retired Old Bailey judge has paid tribute to his daughter after her killer was jailed for life.

Clifton George, 45, was sentenced on Tuesday to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 23 years after being found guilty of the murder of Annabel Rook, 46, whom he stabbed in the living room of her home in Stoke Newington, north London, in June last year.

Peter Rook described his daughter as altruistic, non-judgmental and “one of the world’s great life enhancers”, and praised her dedication to helping other people.

Annabel Rook was a co-founder of MamaSuze, which supports refugee women. Her other ventures included running workshops for the arts organisation Pan Intercultural Arts and helping to set up the award-winning Amies Freedom Choirs for women who have been victims of trafficking.

Speaking to the Press Association, Peter Rook also said the family had been unaware of the extent of George’s abuse and that some details had been only brought to their attention during the hearings.

George, an electrician, stabbed Annabel with a kitchen knife 31 times, including through the heart, before opening the valve of a propane gas canister and starting a fire in the basement of the house.

This occurred after the couple, who had been together for 10 years, came into an argument after Annabel split with George and asked him to move out of her home. During the trial at Snaresbrook crown court, the jury heard that she had told friends and family she was considering leaving him.

Throughout the duration of the trial, George was described as an aggressive and bullying partner who displayed patterns of abuse and was prone to angry outbursts over trivial matters.

“He was always very careful to not show us how angry he could get,” said Susanna Rook, Annabel’s mother, reflecting on the “horrible” evidence her daughter’s friends and family sat through during four weeks in court.

Annabel’s father added: “There’s only one word for it: pain, great pain.”

Peter Rook said he thought his daughter’s murder was a poignant example of how dangerous the situation could get for people in abusive relationships.

“[The] most dangerous time is probably when there’s going to be the separation, because if someone’s a controlling personality, that is likely to cause them to react strongly – if they perceive they’re going to lose the person they’re controlling,” he said.

Asked what they would advise victims of domestic abuse, Susanna Rook said simply: “Get out – however hard it is, find yourself a safe place. And then deal with him from afar.”

Annabel Rook co-created MamaSuze with her long-term friend Catherine Milne, who also paid tribute to her and her “glass half-full” attitude to life.

Her parents also reiterated her nature of seeing the best in others, and said she had stayed with George because she saw the good and potential in him. Her mother said Annabel had told the family about George’s troubled childhood so that they would understand his temperament better, and “she kept saying ‘don’t worry, I’ll sort it’.”

Susanna Rook said: “She had this incredible confidence that things would come right, with love and support.”

The family and friends want to focus on her legacy of altruism and say they have seen an increase in support for MamaSuze in the wake of her death.

They said: “Annabel’s legacy would be for every single person to look around and think: ‘What can I do to try and make the world a better place?’”