Financier killed as he confronts burglars
KAREN MCVEIGH
A WEALTHY and highly respected City of London financier was stabbed to death and his wife was left seriously injured
after two knife-wielding intruders burst into their multi-million pound townhouse in Chelsea.
John Monckton's family were "profoundly shocked" by the murder and described him as an "incredibly gentle and
thoughtful man".
The couple's nine-year-old daughter, Isobel, alerted emergency services after finding her parents fighting for their lives'after the incident on Monday night. Detectives believe it could have been an attempted burglary, but were keeping an open mind on the motive for the attack.
Yesterday, shocked residents of the exclusive and close-knit area, where actors, rock stars and the aristocracy live next
to leading lawyers and businessmen, spoke of a spate of burglaries, robberies and assaults in recent years.
Mr Monckton, 49, died in hospital shortly after the attack. His wife, Homeyra, 45, who was also stabbed, was in a
stable condition at St Thomas Hospital last night after undergoing "significant surgery" for her injuries. She is not
expected to be discharged for a week. The couple's other daughter, Sabrina, 12, was at her boarding school, St Mary's
Ascot, at the time of the murder. She travelled to be with her mother and sister yesterday.
A respected director with financial giant Legal and General and a leading City authority on the corporate bond market,
Mr Monckton was also well-known for his deeply held religious beliefs and charitable work. The cousin of Rosa
Monckton, a close friend of the late Princess Diana and wife of Dominic Lawson, the Sunday Telegraph editor, Mr
Monckton came from a well-established Catholic family and was active in the Knights of Malta charity, which helps
the poor.
Police were called to the Moncktons' home, in Upper Cheyne Row, near Albert Bridge, at around 7:35pm on Monday.
Detective Superintendent Mark Jackson said it was too early to establish a motive, but Mr Monckton's business affairs
and the possibility of burglary were "key lines of inquiry".
He added: "The early indications are that two males forced entry into the premises and that is when the offences
occurred, and they then decamped from the scene. A murder inquiry has now commenced."
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