John Sweeney's son opens up on chilling moment his axe murderer father showed him disturbing sketch

Until I Kill You is returning to ITV, inspired by the harrowing memoir of John Sweeney's only known surviving victim, Delia Balmer. The drama, with Anna Maxwell-Martin taking on the role of Delia, delves into a chilling discovery of a cache of sketches depicting decapitated women and violent images.

In a terrifying turn of events in the series, Delia barely survives an attack, while the real-life Sweeney evaded capture for six years before his arrest and conviction for two murders. Police discovered hundreds of Sweeney's macabre artworks during their investigation.

Among these, he had scrawled a poem about his first girlfriend and murder victim, Melissa Halstead, behind a scratchcard: "Poor old Melissa, chopped her up in bits, food to feed the fish, Am*dam was the pits."

One of his paintings, named One Man Band, included an illustration of a woman believed to be Melissa, obscured by correction fluid, which revealed under ultraviolet light a gravestone marked "Melissa Halstead, born 7 November 1956. Died."

Michael, Sweeney's son, has recounted the disturbing moment his father showed him "a sketch he drew of my mum in a coffin", reports the Mirror.

Sweeney disturbingly presented Michael, then a teenager, with a macabre drawing of his mother in a coffin, inscribed with 'Rest in Peace Ann'. Initially, Michael, who has a sister called Tracey, dismissed it as bitterness following the collapse of his parents' relationship.

After the conviction of Sweeney, Michael recognised the eerie truth in a disturbing image. Speaking to the Mirror, he recounted: "I could see it was my mum straight away. It was so lifelike. It was like a photograph."

He continued, "I thought at the time it was strange but just a symbol of their bad relationship. Now I know he has killed I can't help but wonder, 'Why didn't he kill my mum?'"

Michael expressed his concerns that his father may have more victims and felt compelled to come forward to provide closure for both his and the victims' families.

When he questioned his father about whether the woman in his drawing was Ann, his father simply confirmed with a "yes" while appearing withdrawn. Before Ann died in 2002, Sweeney had written her a letter professing his enduring affection.

"He was obsessed with her. I think they were married twice and divorced twice," Michael disclosed.

Sweeney is serving a life sentence and Michael harbours no desire to see him ever again, aside from one encounter at a family funeral which Michael described as "quite haunting".

Despite Ann's efforts to flee, Sweeney persistently pursued her for a period.

Until I Kill You continues on ITV at 9pm