KENT relatives of a murdered financier say his brutal death is "incomprehensible".

John Monckton, 49, who headed the bonds division at massive fund management company Legal and General, was stabbed to death at his home in Chelsea.

He was raised in Maidstone by his mother and father, Mary and John Monckton. The family moved into a house in Sittingbourne Road in the 1940s. Mrs Monckton died about 20 years ago, but Mr Monkton, a well-known member of the legal profession, stayed on in the same house until his death four years ago.

The Monckton family originally settled in Kent in the 17th century and Mr Monckton still has close relatives in the county, including family in Horsmonden.

Two men called at his £3m home in Upper Cheyne Row, Chelsea, on Monday night. Mr Monkton and his wife of 16 years, Homeyra were both stabbed.

The couple were found by their youngest daughter who was in the house at the time and managed to call 999. Both were taken to hospital where Mr Monckton later died. His wife underwent surgery and is expected to recover.

Tim Monckton, a second cousin of the murdered financier, lives in Kent and is a partner in law firm Whitehead Monckton, which has offices in King Street, Maidstone, and High Street, Tenterden.

Mr Monckton, who is the sixth generation of the Monckton family to work in the firm, said his cousin's death was "simply incomprehensible".

"We grew up together and I remember him as a child although we were not as close in recent years," he said. "He was immensely successful in his career in the City, but as the national papers have stated he was also very good with his time and in charity work. I can thoroughly endorse all the good things that have been said about him."

Mr Monckton was a distant relative of Rosa Monckton, a close friend of the late Princess Diana. He was also related to Walter Monckton, a lawyer and adviser to Edward VIII who was awarded the title of Viscount of Brenchley in the late 1950s.

The current Viscount Monckton of Brenchley and his wife Lady Monckton, who live in Harrietsham, near Maidstone, are distant cousins of the murdered City worker.

Lady Monckton said: "His was the other branch of the family, but we were all very, very close. My children are godparents to his children and we were all very close indeed.

"He was a very, very good friend and a cousin. They came here and we saw them in London. What's happened is just unimaginable."

Mr Monckton went to Lincoln College, Oxford, where he read classics and modern languages.

After graduating, he spent a year at the City University, followed by the Council of Legal Education before being called to the Bar in 1979. He and his wife had two children, Isobel, nine and Sabrina, 12. murder.

A man was arrested and later released on police bail in connection with the killing.