Overview

• Hope Rowe, 33, was found guilty on June 13 of stabbing 31-year-old Charlotte Lawlor to death with a birthday cake knife following a dispute over missing keys in Stepney Green.
• Prosecutors told jurors that Rowe ambushed Lawlor at the block entrance and delivered a forceful chest wound that pierced her ribs and heart.
• An accidental voicemail left by Rowe’s partner, Leigh Holder, caught Rowe celebrating the killing and led to Holder’s conviction for misleading police and disposing of the knife.
• Rowe’s defence claimed she suffered a personality disorder and had no memory of the attack, but jurors rejected her loss-of-control plea after viewing CCTV evidence.
• Both Rowe and Holder will be formally sentenced at Inner London Crown Court on July 9, 2025.