Viewers of a seriously disturbing new crime series have been left utterly shocked after hearing a survivor's real life account of what went down when she was nearly killed.
Back in April, ITV viewers sunk their teeth into the extremely harrowing psychological crime-drama, Until I Kill You, starring Anna Maxwell Martin, Shaun Evans and Kevin Doyle.
Martin stars as Delia Balmer, a nurse who survived after being captured for several days by John Sweeney (played by Evans) - a construction worker who was also a serial killer known as the 'scalp hunter' after he killed multiple women over the course of several years.
The drama focuses on Balmer’s relationship with Sweeney in the 1990s in London, and his subsequent capture for his crimes.
The pair had met in a pub in Camden and bonded over their shared love of travelling, but Sweeney soon became abusive.
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When Balmer broke up with Sweeney in 1994, he broke into her house and tied her to a bed, where he held her hostage for four days while threatening her with a knife and a gun.
After four days of being trapped in a room by him, he freed her, but would later attack her with an axe.
She escaped with the help of a neighbour who attacked Sweeney.
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The real Balmer, who is now retired, has since opened up about the traumatising ordeal in a follow-up ITV documentary titled Until I Kill You: The Real Story after the release of the four-part series.
After sharing details of her and Sweeney's relationship, Balmer showed viewers the exact bed she had attacked her on after she tried to leave him.
Looking back at that fateful day, she recalled: "Out comes these ropes and then he tied them to the bed and then he tied my ankles and grabbed my arms and held me down.
"At first I struggled and then I found out it was best not to struggle because he fixed it, and it would get tighter if I struggled."
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At this point, Sweeney pulled a knife on Balmer as well as a gun which was previously hidden and started to interrogate her over her ex-boyfriends.
"He threatened to cut my tongue out if I screamed," Balmer continued.
The serial killer also admitted to killing his ex-girlfriend as well as two other men and 'cutting up their bodies and throwing them in a canal' some years prior.
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Sweeney went on the run, but he was eventually arrested in 2001 for the attempted murder of Balmer.
In 2010, he was found guilty of the murder of two former girlfriends; Melissa Halstead and Patricia Fields.
He is currently in prison after being sentenced to life imprisonment.
After hearing Balmer's confession, ITV viewers rushed to social media to share their shock, with one X user writing: "Wow.. Delia still has all the furniture and the bed that that monster made (& mattress by the looks of it). Jeez! I'd have burnt the lot."
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Another praised: "God, this is harrowing. Delia you are a strong brave woman, and I’m so glad you found a happy future after this hell."
And a final X user added: "Delia Balmer was failed by the police time & again, She is an absolute superstar for being so resilient."
If you are experiencing domestic violence, please know that you are not alone. You can talk in confidence to the national domestic violence helpline Refuge on 0808 2000 247, available 24/7, or via live chat, available 10am-10pm, Monday to Friday.
Topics: Crime, Documentaries, ITV, TV And Film, Tyla Recommends, True Crime
Rhiannon Ingle