As a documentary explores the true story behind the chilling ITV drama Before I Kill You, the Mirror looks at how Delia Balmer managed to survive her harrowing hostage ordeal
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In the spring of 1994, Delia Balmer was taken hostage by the man she’d once loved – and she did everything she could to survive.
As dramatised in the chilling ITV drama Before I Kill You, London-based agency nurse Delia Balmer (played by Anna Maxwell Martin), lived in terror of her partner John Sweeney (Shaun Evans), whose temper and controlling behaviours became alarmingly apparent after he moved in with her.
After carpenter Sweeney assaulted a man in Germany, Delia kicked him out, and it was then that things took a sickening turn. In her 2017 book, Living With a Serial Killer, which has helped inform the series, Delia recounted how she’d discovered a suspicious-looking bag containing tools concealed behind a bathroom panel, which she concluded was a ‘body disposal kit meant for me’.
Fearful of what Sweeney might do next, Delia attempted to warn the police and changed the locks in a bid to feel safe. However, her worst nightmare came to pass in the most horrific manner after Sweeney broke into her home and held her captive over four terrifying days.
Delia was kept restrained to her bed, with Sweeney threatening to mutilate her tongue if she screamed. And it was then that Sweeney made a dark confession that made it clear he wasn’t bluffing.
With Delia at his mercy, Sweeney confessed to the murder of his ex-girlfriend, the American model and photographer Melissa Halstead, and two other men in Amsterdam. Melissa’s remains had been recovered from a Rotterdam canal in 1990 but, at that time, they hadn’t been identified and a perpetrator hadn’t been found.
Recalling Sweeney’s sinister admission in her book, Delia wrote: “We had a room in Amsterdam. I went in. There were two Germans there with her. I killed them all. I didn’t know what to do with the bodies. I sat with them for three days. On the third day, I cut them up, and I put them in bags and I threw them in the canal.”
As Delia listened, she realised she was in grave danger. Not only was she faced with the cruel temper of her violent ex-partner, but she now knew his secret. She remembered: “He was very quick, and if I had tried anything, I probably would have ended up cut up.”
Under unimaginable circumstances, brave Delia managed to stay calm, being careful not to rouse the ferocious rage of Sweeney who subjected her to assaults, and threats with a knife and gun. Eventually, he let her go and fled. Having escaped by the skin of her teeth, Delia reported Sweeney to the police, but unfortunately, this wasn’t the end of her ordeal.
Although Sweeney was arrested, he was permitted bail and so was able to attack Delia with an axe, resulting in psychological and physical injuries that continue to plague her to this day. This time, a neighbour intervened to help, and Sweeney fled into the night once more, going on the run for six years.
It was during this period that Sweeney killed again, this time targeting mum-of-three Paula Fields in 2000, whose body he threw into London’s Regent’s Canal. In 2001, Sweeney was finally caught and arrested, and given a nine-year custodial sentence for the attack on Delia.
While serving time at Leicestershire’s Gartree Prison, Sweeney was also questioned about Melissa and Paula, with officers suspecting there could be a connection. Eventually, advances in DNA technology on top of Delia’s testimony, helped authorities build a case against evil Sweeney, and lock him away for good.
After being found guilty of both murders, Sweeney was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2011 without the possibility of parole and remains incarcerated. As reported by the BBC, it’s believed Sweeney could have killed three other women who were reported missing between the years 1970 and 1990.
A documentary about the true story that inspired the drama will air this evening (Thursday, November 7) at 9pm on ITV1. In the doc, viewers hear from Delia about how her suffering at the hands of Sweeney continues to haunt her.
Delia, who now works as a therapeutic masseuse, told ITV: “My concern has always been to get the truth out by whatever means. I remain an angry person. Sweeney was let out on bail. The police gave me insufficient protection before his final assault. Later, I was forced to go to court to be further traumatised by the system.”
She added: “I am a perfectionist but my life is opposite of perfect. I often suffer from depression and anxiety, afraid of life and afraid of the future, a compulsive worrier.”
The national domestic abuse helpline offers support for women on 0808 2000 247, or you can visit the Refuge website. There is a dedicated men’s advice line on 0808 8010 327. Those in the US can call the domestic violence hotline on 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Other international helplines can be found via www.befrienders.org
You can catch Until I Kill You: The Real Story this evening (November 7) at 9pm on ITV1.
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