ITV series Until I Kill You delves into horrifying real-life events of axe murderer John Sweeney

The chilling series, Until I Kill You, is set to premiere on ITV from November 3. The four-part series will be accompanied by a companion documentary titled Until I Kill You: The Real Story.

Anna Maxwell Martin takes on the role of Delia Balmer, with Shaun Evans portraying John Sweeney.

The real-life Delia Balmer penned a book about her harrowing experience living with a serial axe murderer, titled Living With a Serial Killer. The series draws its narrative from this book.

The terrifying true story unfolds in 1991, when Delia was employed as an agency nurse in London. At the age of 40, she lived alone and led a solitary existence.

She encountered a man at a pub, who was four years her junior, and introduced himself as John Sweeney. Their initial meeting didn't lead to anything, but they crossed paths again weeks later on the street, reports the Mirror.

Sweeney asked Delia out and although she initially declined, his persistent advances led her to write him a letter - a decision she would deeply regret.

Sweeney, who was working as a casual labourer and residing in a squat, was eager to move into Delia's home.

Delia remembered his explosive fits of anger and wanted him gone, but fear held her back from asking him to leave.

After enduring two years of an abusive relationship, she finally mustered the courage to ask him to leave in December 1993.

However, he continued to exert control and manipulation over her, culminating in a terrifying incident in the spring of 1994 when he held her captive in her own home for several days.

He bound her to the bed and threatened her with a gun and knife, warning that he would cut out her tongue if she dared to scream.

During this horrifying ordeal, he confessed to the murder of his ex-girlfriend, Melissa Halstead, revealing that he had dismembered her body and disposed of it in an Amsterdam canal.

After four days of captivity, Sweeney finally released Delia, allowing her to return to work.

But the terror didn't end there, and in July 1994, Delia sought help from a women's refuge and informed the police.

Despite this, the authorities did not take significant action based on these initial reports, resulting in two further attacks on Delia that year.

Even after changing her home's locks, Sweeney managed to break in and torment her again, holding her hostage for another day.

When she failed to show up for an appointment with a friend, the concerned friend contacted the police who discovered a bag at Delia's home containing tarpaulin, masking tape, surgical gloves, and rope - Sweeney's intended murder kit.

A week later, he was released on bail under the condition that he returned to his parents' home in Skelmersdale.

However, he violated his bail conditions and returned to Delia's home, where he carried out a near-fatal attack.

It was December 22, 1994, and as Delia was returning home from work on her bike, she spotted Sweeney approaching her outside.

He attacked her with an axe, striking her arms before stabbing her in the breast and thigh with a knife.

A neighbour, alerted by the noise outside, struck Sweeney with a baseball bat, prompting him to flee while Delia was rushed to hospital.

Incredibly, she survived, but was left with numerous physical and emotional scars.

Sweeney managed to evade capture for six years before his location was discovered.

Under the alias 'Joe', he returned to London where he met Paula Fields, whom he murdered in December 2000.

The Metropolitan Police launched a murder investigation and identified Paula's body through DNA. When apprehended by police, Sweeney was found carrying a gun and a knife.

Over 300 pieces of his artwork, which graphically depicted his horrific murders, were seized by police.

Ultimately, it was Sweeney's own artwork that provided the evidence police needed to link him to multiple murders, leading to his life sentence.

Until I Kill You airs on ITV from November 3