John Sweeney now as brutal crimes retold in ITV drama Until I Kill You

The gripping four-part drama Until I Kill You, which is currently airing on ITV, is based on the harrowing true-life events recounted by Delia Balmer in her memoir, Living with a Serial Killer. Delia is the only known survivor of axe murderer John Sweeney, who gruesomely killed Melissa Halstead and Paula Fields, disposing of their dismembered bodies in canals.

Melissa Halstead, aged 33, was Sweeney's first known victim. In a chilling confession during an outburst, he told Delia how he stayed with Melissa's body for days before dismembering it and discarding the remains in a river.

While evading capture after a near-fatal assault on Delia, Sweeney murdered his second known victim, 31-year-old Paula Fields. Her body was discovered in Regent's Canal in 2001.

The connection between the two murders was established in February 2010, leading to Sweeney's arrest at Gartree Prison in Leicestershire, where he was already serving a life sentence for the attack on Delia.

Now 67, the former carpenter remains behind bars, expected to spend the remainder of his life in prison. He notably declined to leave his cell at Belmarsh prison to attend the hearing where he was convicted of both murders, reports the Mirror.

During sentencing, Judge Mr Justice Saunders condemned the brutality of Sweeney's actions, stating: "These were terrible, wicked crimes. The heads of the victims having been removed, it is impossible to be certain how they were killed."

He further remarked on the particularly heinous nature of the crimes, highlighting that "The mutilation of the bodies is a serious aggravating feature of the murders."

"Not only does it reveal the cold-blooded nature of the killer, but it has added greatly to the distress of the families to know that parts of their loved ones have never been recovered."

Sweeney's gruesome trail was unearthed through his own artistry, as investigators discovered over 300 paintings and poems indicating a deep-seated malice towards women.

Amongst his disturbing collection was a piece titled "Scalp Hunter," depicting a female victim and a blood-stained axe.

He had also scrawled a chilling poem on the back of a scratchcard: "Poor old Melissa, chopped her up in bits, food to feed the fish, Am*dam was the pits."

Until I Kill You continues on ITV on November 4