An East London woman has been convicted of ‘a deliberate, considered, cynical attack’ in just 15 minutes after she stabbed a mum to death with a birthday cake knife in a row over her missing keys. Hope Rowe, 33, now faces a life sentence for the murder of 31-year-old Charlotte Lawlor, who she attacked outside Hebrides Court in Stepney Green in the early hours of September 15 last year.
On Friday (June 13), her boyfriend Leigh Holder, 37, was also convicted of perverting the course of justice after driving Rowe away from the scene, helping to dispose of the knife, and misdirecting armed police. MyLondon can now reveal Holder was previously jailed for nine years for stabbing a man on the Regent’s Canal towpath over a money dispute – described as a ‘horrific assault’ by a detective at the time.
During the trial jurors heard how Rowe was ‘spoiling for a fight’ when she confronted Charlotte, who ‘just wanted to go home’ after celebrating the birthday of a child who was present at the flats. Accusing Charlotte of hiding her keys, Rowe left the flat with the knife used to cut the birthday cake, then returned to the entrance of the building just as Charlotte left the building to get her cab home.
Horrifying video footage played in open court showed the moment Rowe leaned around her ‘MMA-expert’ boyfriend to stab Charlotte in the chest with such force it broke her bone. Rowe, who blamed personality disorder and claimed she had no memory of the stabbing, later accused Charlotte of threatening to kill her and hurt another child who was present at the scene.
But throughout the trial, prosecutor Charlotte Newell KC said Rowe’s defence was ‘fanciful’, an ‘invention’ created after handing herself into police and learning that she was charged with murder. In fact, a voicemail exchange accidently left by Holder on Rowe’s phone revealed Rowe’s pleasure at Charlotte’s death. When Holder told her ‘You absolute idiot, you killed her’, Rowe replied: “Good.”
On Rowe’s claim that she was stabbed in the head with a key, causing her to pour with blood that triggered emotions about a past miscarriage, Ms Newell said it was ‘a lie used to justify her actions and get away with murder’.
Offering an alternative explanation to Rowe’s claims, Ms Newell said: “She attacked her in revenge for disrespecting her and getting the better of her in a fight that she incited… She did not like the way Charlotte Lawlor stood up to her and spoke to her.”
‘I’m going to be in trouble’
After stabbing Charlotte in the chest, then following her to the lobby ‘to attempt to inflict more wounds’, Rowe escaped with Holder at the wheel of his four-by-four, disposing of the murder weapon and making efforts to conceal her crime. The same night, Holder was stopped by police marksmen, but he lied about Rowe leaping from the car and misdirected officers to her sister’s home.
Later on, Rowe wrote to a family member on TikTok to say ‘I’m so so so sorry’. Jurors heard the recipient replied ‘It’s dine [sic]’, to which Rowe said ”It’s not, this is bad, I’m going to be in trouble’. Shortly after Rowe handed herself into Bethnal Green Police Station, where video footage showed her desperately asking police to clarify ‘Is it attempted murder, or murder?’.
Rowe admitted manslaughter with diminished responsibility before the trial, so jurors were ultimately asked to choose between two psychiatric experts, one of whom concluded personality disorder had substantially impaired Rowe’s ability to exercise self-control, and the other, who did not find any substantial impairment due to Rowe’s psychiatric condition.
But the evidence against Rowe appeared overwhelming and jurors looked tired during the defence closing speech earlier this week. Rowe’s partial defence of ‘loss of control’ flew in the face of the CCTV footage, which showed her quite purposefully using Holder as a shield so she could reach around him and plunge the knife into Charlotte, who was caught by surprise.
Detective Sergeant Dean Musgrove, from the Met Police’s Specialist Crime North unit, said: “Hope Rowe launched a brutal attack on Charlotte Lawlor at what should have been a joyous occasion. Our thoughts are with the victim’s family and friends, who will have to contend not only with the loss of a loved one, but with the trauma of having witnessed the killing.
“As if the killing was not senseless enough, Rowe then tried to deceive investigators, disposing of the knife before turning herself in. It still has not been found to this day, and both Rowe and her partner were incriminated by a voicemail accidentally recorded on Rowe’s phone.”
‘I’m gonna miss you’
Charlotte’s funeral, held at Islington and St Pancras Cemetery in October last year, drew hundreds of friends and family members who paid tribute to her fiery personality with splashes of red on their black clothes. The moving service included words and poetry from family members, and a video of Charlotte and her young son who recorded a note to say ‘Love you mum. I’m gonna miss you.’
Charlotte’s heartbroken dad Jason remembered her ‘strength and resilience’, while her nan and granddad said Charlotte was a ‘devoted mother’ and that ‘joy filled the air’ whenever she entered a room. In a poem, mum Tammy said: “Our precious daughter. There is no-one else on earth so special as you were to me. I will hold you forever in my heart and memory.”
After the verdict, Charlotte’s parents said: “We are happy with the verdict. We would like to thank the jury for their attention during the trial. The family will never get over the loss and murder of Charlotte. It has destroyed us, leaving a gaping hole. Charlotte’s son, Riley, has been left without a mum, and siblings without their older sister and best friend. Charlotte brought light to everyone’s life.”
Rowe and Holder will be sentenced by Judge Freya Newbery on July 9.
You can donate to the GoFundMe for Charlotte’s son here.
Got a tip, a court date, or some gossip? Please email [email protected] or WhatsApp 07580255582.
Don’t miss out on the latest crime stories from across London. Sign up to MyLondon’s Court & Crime newsletter HERE.
