My serial killer ex John Sweeney hacked me with axe after being freed for Xmas – I still sleep on bed he chained me to

COWERING connected her doorstep desperately trying to support her look with her arms, Delia Balmer was convinced she was going to die.

Her crazed ex-boyfriend John Sweeney had battered her with an axe handle, stabbed her doubly and was present astir to plaything the limb down connected her head.

She was lone saved erstwhile a neighbour who heard the commotion came retired and deed her attacker with a shot bat, causing him to flee.

It marked the extremity of a reign of panic Sweeney had inflicted connected Delia for years. But she wasn’t his lone victim. In fact, she was the 1 who had survived a serial killer.

What Delia didn’t cognize was that earlier they had adjacent met helium had already killed astatine slightest two erstwhile girlfriends, chopped up their bodies and thrown them into canals.

And Delia remains convinced that she excessively would person met the aforesaid destiny if helium had had his ain way.

“First with the woody grip of the axe helium bashes me,” she recalls successful a caller Channel 5 documentary I Survived a Serial Killer: Delia Balmer.

“I enactment my arms retired for protection. With the ample woody grip of the axe, bang.

I tried to footwear him, deed him successful the close place, but I missed.

"So with my broken, bleeding arms I pulled my bicycle connected apical of maine to effort and person immoderate protection, past helium stabbed maine done this bosom into the lung.

"And past helium stabbed maine done the thigh. He had the axe implicit his caput acceptable to decorativeness maine off.

"I enactment my hands implicit my look and unopen my eyes acceptable to die.”

In an interrogation with the Guardian, writer Nick Stevens - who has created an upcoming play astir the pair, entitled Until I Kill You, for ITV - reveals his experiences talking to Delia and however she has bravely rebuilt her beingness since the ordeal.

He says: “Amazingly, Delia inactive sleeps successful the furniture Sweeney made for her and to which helium tied her for 4 days. I can’t beryllium definite however she processes each this. But I’m definite she’s successful a amended spot than she was.”

Violent origins

Delia was a young Australian caregiver surviving successful London erstwhile she archetypal met John Sweeney successful the Hawley Arms pub.

He was an unsuccessful creator making ends conscionable by moving arsenic a carpenter and was surviving successful a squat nearby. 

Originally from Skelmersdale adjacent Liverpool, helium joined section pistillate Ann Bramley and had 2 children. But determination was unit wrong the marriage, Sweeney was arrested and Ann moved with their kids to different portion of the country.

He travelled astir England and Europe working, and successful 1986 helium landed connected his feet erstwhile helium met American exemplary Melissa Halstead. It was a passionate but turbulent narration and Sweeney was convicted doubly of assaulting Melissa - but the narration continued.

Sweeney continued to beryllium convulsive and controlling, truthful Melissa yet fled to Vienna. But helium tracked her down, stalking her, tying her up and attacking her with a hammer cracking her skull, which needed exigency surgery.

Sweeney was sentenced to 12 months successful an Austrian prison for the brutal attack. He was released aft conscionable six months successful 1989, and soon Melissa was backmost nether his spell.

They moved to Amsterdam for a caller commencement - but successful April 1990 Melissa went missing.

Sweeney soon returned to the UK and helium managed to charm his mode into Delia’s life, moving into her level wherever his controlling and convulsive behaviour soon reared its head.

Delia recalls: “He said helium was going to Germany to work. He would telephone maine astatine 8pm connected a Monday nighttime and helium would archer maine erstwhile helium would bash it next. He would telephone maine doubly a week and helium would archer maine the adjacent clip and I had to beryllium determination for the phone. 

“He said, 'You person to beryllium determination oregon I volition beryllium aggravated if you are not determination to reply the phone' and I thought that was due to the fact that helium was disquieted astir maine but it was conscionable a power thing.”

Monster unleashed

After 2 years of a psychologically exhausting relationship, things came to a terrifying and convulsive caput aft different explosive row.

Delia had gone to spot a person and stayed overnight. When she returned location Sweeney was waiting for her.

“He interrogated maine and I said 'I americium going to bed',” she says.

“Later helium opened the doorway and abruptly reached down to the bottommost of the bed. Below the bed, helium had ropes determination acceptable - archetypal helium tied 1 ankle, past the other. I sat up and said, 'What are you doing?'

"He grabbed my arms and enactment maine backmost and tied my wrists to the bed.

I was tied to the furniture each nighttime log and helium ranted and raved and helium had my room knife. He untied my ankles to person sex. I laic determination each nighttime long. I felt similar I was successful a padded compartment with a implicit maniac.”

One of Delia’s acrophobic colleagues tried to interaction her, forcing Sweeney to explicate her absence.

“I was an bureau nurse," says Delia. "The bureau phone, wondered wherefore I wasn’t astatine work. And helium said, 'She’s had to spell distant for an emergency.'

"They took that, OK. But past Rosie phoned, the caregiver I worked with. And she said if she’s not present by 12 I’m sending the police. He says ‘what? What? What?’ And helium slammed the telephone down and ran backmost and forth.

"He said ‘she’s going to nonstop the police, what americium I going to do?’ And helium kept moving backmost and distant saying that, and I said ‘I don’t know.’

Panicked that Delia’s workfellow mightiness rise the alarm, Sweeney decided to let Delia to instrumentality to work.

She says: “Once helium settled down a spot helium said, ‘Look I’ll fto you go. Just telephone Rosie and archer her everything is alright and you volition beryllium backmost connected the pursuing Monday.'

"He went with the telephone to me, and I had to archer Rosie that. And my dependable was shaking and she conscionable went on with it. But she knew."

The terrifying ordeal lasted six days.

“Escape was not an option," she says. "I thought astir however tin I get out. I thought determination is nary way, if I effort to escape, thing is going to happen. I was acrophobic to think. I thought adjacent if I deliberation you volition cognize what I americium thinking. I blocked my mind. I tried to anyhow due to the fact that I conscionable knew I was successful danger.”

Living successful fearfulness Delia decided not to study the incident.

She explains: “Well I went backmost to work. I showed them the people connected my wrist and the different nurses thought I should archer the constabulary and I said its nary good, I can’t archer the police.

"It won’t work, if I did archer the constabulary helium would find retired and I would beryllium successful worse trouble. There was this sister connected the ward and she said you’re surviving connected a weapon borderline and she was close and I knew. I had to find a mode retired but I didn’t cognize what to do.”

Breaking free

Days aft tying Delia to the bed, Sweeney announced that helium was erstwhile again returning to Europe for work. Relieved, she decided she had to act.

Delia says: “He said helium was going to spell to Germany to work. He’d been gone since the Monday and it was the Thursday I got the fastener changed, but I had a feeling helium was inactive lurking around.”

It was a determination that would enrage Sweeney.

“I creeped into the flat, ever acrophobic that someway helium whitethorn inactive beryllium there” she says. “I opened the doorway to the level but I was uneasy each the time. The doorway flung open, helium came out, helium said ‘what did you bash that for?’"

Once again Delia recovered herself held hostage successful her ain home.

She says: “He pulled maine up and dragged maine done to the surviving country and sat maine connected 2 ample cushions adjacent the partition truthful I was hostage again. And past helium says, 'I privation enactment now'.”

This clip Delia’s enactment colleagues were truthful acrophobic for her payment that they contacted the authorities.

He asked her to reply the doorway to the police, pretending everything was ok. Instead, she rushed retired of the door, connected to the street.

John Sweeney was arrested for assorted offences including assault.

When helium was removed from the level by police, Delia pointed retired his belongings and down the bath sheet officers recovered what tin lone beryllium described arsenic a killer’s kit container -  a tarpaulin rubber sheet, lengths of rope, surgical gloves and rolls of duck tape.

All the things you mightiness request if you were cleaning up a transgression scene.

Roaming free

Sweeney was present safely down bars connected remand, but successful a cruel twist of destiny helium was astir to beryllium released backmost connected to the streets.

As it approached Christmas 1994 determination was an amnesty. Prisoners successful custody for definite offences could beryllium released, which meant they could walk Christmas astatine location with their families.

One of them was John Sweeney.

Delia says: “I told constabulary what helium would bash to me, what clip helium would bash it, erstwhile helium would beryllium determination and however helium would bash it. But I was fixed nary protection.”

On December 22, 1994, a mates of days aft Sweeney’s release, Delia was coming location from work. As she climbed the fewer steps to her level with her bicycle, helium emerged from the basement.

Delia’s hopeless screams alerted the attraction of a neighbour. He came retired equipped with a shot bat and helium could spot Sweeney attacking Delia.

“I looked up, saw him with the axe still, truthful I covered up again. I heard different sound and the neighbour had bashed him connected the backmost with a shot bat," says Delia.

He fled the scene, leaving Delia warring for her beingness and with beingness changing injuries.

She says: “I thought I wanted to die. One the digit was gone, 1 I saw that, I thought I’ve had enough.

"My assemblage had been damaged. I had ever looked aft it, I danced, I wanted to beryllium a ballet dancer, I wanted to beryllium a decent capable assemblage and I didn’t privation it ruined.

"I utilized to look aft myself and I ne'er had scars similar that and I didn’t privation to unrecorded successful choler and pain.”

On the run

Sweeney was connected the tally and determination was a immense manhunt, but the way ran cold.

Brazenly, it aboriginal emerged helium had been moving connected gathering sites currency successful hand, hiding successful plain sight.

But Delia was capable to supply constabulary with terrifying caller accusation astir his past aft uncovering a representation of a young pistillate successful his belongings.

Sweeney told her helium had travel location 1 day, recovered her successful furniture with 2 German men truthful helium changeable each 3 of them.

Delia says: “When I was tied to the furniture and helium was ranting and raving with the room knife... archetypal helium interrogated maine astir things and past helium said, 'I accidental you are wondering what happened to Melissa?'

"'She was successful the flat successful Amsterdam, 2 Germans were determination and I killed them all. I didn’t cognize what to bash with the bodies truthful I sat with them for 3 days and connected the 3rd time I chopped them up and threw them successful the canal.'”

Police successful London contacted their counterparts successful the Netherlands who revealed they did person a grounds of a assemblage discovered successful a canal successful Rotterdam successful 1990.

In 1992 different pistillate assemblage was recovered dismembered successful a suitcase successful a canal - the fingertips had been removed from her hands. The Amsterdam constabulary thought this could beryllium the remains of Melissa.

Dutch constabulary contacted her household successful Ohio to petition a DNA illustration - but it was not a match.

Six years aft John Sweeney’s brutal onslaught connected Delia, 3 young boys successful London made a harrowing find - immoderate holdalls successful a canal which contained the remains of a woman.

The Met launched a execution enquiry and DNA from the remains matched that of missing 31-year-old Liverpudlian pistillate Paula Fields.

Paula had moved to London hoping to marque a caller beingness for herself, but sadly entered a spiral of drugs and prostitution and the mum of 3 recovered herself successful despair.

When she went missing the constabulary looked into her manner and inheritance and discovered that she was friends with a antheral called Joe.

It became a precedence to way him down and associates said helium lived astatine Digby Crescent successful Hackney. But erstwhile constabulary went to the code they spoke to a antheral called Anthony Sweeney, who they enactment nether reflection by undercover officers arsenic they couldn’t beryllium definite that helium wasn’t Joe.

Whilst nether reflection helium met with different antheral - his member John. When they ran his details done the constabulary nationalist machine detectives were amazed to find helium was wanted for the onslaught connected Delia Balmer successful 1994 and had been connected the tally for implicit 5 years.

Detectives were astir to observe the existent standard of Sweeney’s convulsive and murderous past.

After his apprehension officers searching his location recovered a postulation of guns, ammunition, a machete, a garrotte, a wig.

In 2001 helium was charged with the attempted execution of Delia Balmer on with firearms offences. He was besides arrested connected suspicion of the execution of Paula Fields.

He admitted that helium knew Paula and that connected juncture their narration had been rather violent.

But the lawsuit was hard - constabulary didn’t person a transgression country oregon CCTV and grounds was thin, truthful the CPS made the determination not to complaint him with Paula’s murder.

Sweeney was recovered blameworthy of the attempted execution of Delia Balmer and was fixed a beingness condemnation with a minimum tariff of conscionable 9 years, meaning helium would beryllium eligible for parole successful April 2011.

Delia says: “All they gave him was 9 years and 1 period aft each the hellhole I had been through. I americium the 1 who is being punished. I person this symptom and scars for the remainder of my life.”

Police continued to hunt John Sweeney’s erstwhile properties successful London and Liverpool arsenic good arsenic his compartment astatine Gartree situation successful Leicestershire.

They recovered an alarming penetration into Sweeney’s warped mind, including circumstantial references to Melissa Halstead who had been missing since 1990.

Journalist Paul Cheston who covered the lawsuit says: “They recovered the astir bonzer array of artwork and poesy of the astir acheronian and sinister nature. There were pictures of Sweeney self-portraits labelled ‘seal hunter’ portrayed arsenic a devil with a blood-soaked axe.”

A batch of the paintings and sketches were astir Delia and Melissa, and erstwhile constabulary looked astatine them much closely, immoderate of them besides contained what appeared to beryllium messages.

But the astir important portion of grounds was a scrap of insubstantial that appeared to person a poem written connected it.

Paul Cheston says: “This poesy included the astir callous rhymes. He wrote astir Melissa being fed to the fishes and chopped into bits, Amsterdam was the pits.”

But contempt specified chilling clues, Melissa’s lawsuit fell extracurricular of the Met’s jurisdiction. 

In 2008 and with Sweeney’s situation word nearing its end, the Met received an unexpected telephone call.

Retired detective Inspector Steve Smith recalls: “I was astatine my table and the telephone rang. It was a detective from Holland who told maine that helium was portion of a recently formed acold lawsuit probe squad successful Rotterdam.

"He besides went connected to archer maine that owed to the peculiar lawsuit they had been given, which was a dismembered pistillate assemblage recovered successful a canal successful Rotterdam successful 1990, they had managed to find a humor illustration that had been taken from that body.

"When they ran a hunt done their missing person’s database that came backmost arsenic a lucifer for Melissa Halstead.”

This meant the Met constabulary could corroborate a nexus betwixt the decease of Melissa Halstead and the execution of Paula Fields which had been unsolved - and that nexus was John Sweeney.

Sweeney was successful a narration with some of the women astatine the clip they went missing.

Beast snared

With Sweeney inactive serving his condemnation successful a landmark planetary execution investigation, British and Dutch constabulary joined forces to physique the lawsuit against him earlier his imaginable merchandise from prison.

Police needed Delia’s help, but she couldn’t carnivore to relive the trauma Sweeney had enactment her through.

As his way began astatine the Old Bailey, Sweeney pleaded not guilty. But contempt his denials it was his ain artwork that proved damning.

“From the infinitesimal the assemblage saw the artwork they knew that immoderate helium said successful his defence that they were sitting other a seriously, earnestly unsafe man,” says Paul Cheston.

After a proceedings lasting 5 weeks John Sweeney was recovered blameworthy of each charges implicit the murders and ordered to service a full beingness sentence, meaning helium volition walk the remainder of his beingness successful situation with nary accidental of parole.

But portion Sweeney volition ne'er beryllium released, immoderate detectives judge helium is liable for different unsolved crimes and that helium whitethorn person killed others. 

Police person already named 3 imaginable women successful London - a Brazilian, a Colombian and a British trainee caregiver who they deliberation whitethorn beryllium linked to Sweeney.

The chilling world of coming truthful adjacent to decease astatine the hands of John Sweeney volition unrecorded with Delia Balmer forever.

She says: “When helium had the ropes tied acceptable connected the furniture that helium was acceptable to necktie maine down with, it was each there, the greenish canvas container acceptable to chop maine up. He had done it to Melissa and Paula Fields, helium would person done the aforesaid to me.

“There is nary specified happening arsenic justice. I americium the 1 paying, I americium the 1 with the scars, determination is nary specified happening arsenic closure. He’s got his ain way, I americium the 1 who is being punished, I person got the beingness sentence. He is making definite of that still.”

I Survived a Serial Killer: The Delia Balmer Story airs connected Channel 5 astatine 10pm contiguous