What happened to the real John Sweeney from Until I Kill You?

ITV's Until I Kill You dramatises the horrific abuse nurse Delia Balmer suffered during her relationship with John Sweeney, who she later discovered was a serial killer.

The TV series stars Anna Maxwell Martin and Shaun Evans as Balmer and Sweeney respectively, with the narrative charting their relationship. The four-part series is based on Balmer's 2017 memoir Living with a Serial Killer, which was released in 2017.

Viewers may be curious to learn what happened to Balmer and Sweeney as they watch the ITV series, here is what you need to know.

Where is John Sweeney now?

Sweeney is in prison serving a whole life term for the murders of two women, Melissa Halstead and Paula Fields. He was arrested and charged with their murders whilst serving a life sentence for the attempted murder of Balmer and holding her hostage.

Balmer and Sweeney met at a Camden pub in 1991 and shortly thereafter began a relationship, however the construction worker then became abusive towards the nurse and subjected her to abuse for a further three years.

Read more:

The shocking true story behind ITV's Until I Kill You

‘She still sleeps in the bed she was tied to’: Anna Maxwell Martin takes down a serial killer (The Guardian, 9-min read)

In 1994 things came to a head when Balmer ended her relationship with Sweeney and she made a disturbing discovery of a bag with items like duct tape and surgical gloves. Sweeney then broke into her home and held Balmer hostage for four days by tying her to her bed.

Watch the trailer for Until I Kill You:

At the time the killer confessed to Balmer that he murdered Halstead, his previous girlfriend, and two German men in Amsterdam. Halstead's remains had been found in a canal in Rotterdam in 1990, and police had not yet found the culprit.

After holding Balmer hostage Sweeney was arrested but was let out on bail, he then attempted to kill Balmer with an axe — she was saved by a neighbour who defended her with a baseball bat. He went on the run and during this time killed Fields, her remains were found in Regent's Canal in 2001.

It took six years for police to apprehend Sweeney, and he was given four life sentences for the attempted murder of Balmer. It was in 2010, whilst serving this sentence, that he was charged with the killings of Halstead and Fields through testimony that Balmer gave which helped connect the two murders.

He was found guilty of both crimes in 2011 and sentenced to life imprisonment. Authorities believe he may have killed three more women between 1970 and 1990, per the BBC.

Until I Kill You airs on ITV1 every night at 9pm until Wednesday, 6 November.

For support contact Women's Aid, Victim Support, The Survivors Trust or Survivors UK (for male victims of sexual assault). Or you can contact the 24-hour freephone National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge, on 0808 2000 247.

For confidential emotional support contact The Samaritans at any time by calling 116 123 or emailing jo@samaritans.org