Until I Kill You (2024) s01e04 Episode Script

You wanna know what happened
with me and Melissa?
I killed her in Amsterdam,
I chopped her up,
and I put her in a canal.
- (SCREAMS)
We're requesting that all
relatives send us blood samples
for potential DNA profiling.
Have you found Melissa?
No, sir, we have not.
We won't stop looking for her.
- Sweeney's been granted bail.
- H-He'll kill me. I know it.
Get in the house.
Got some news about Sweeney.
He's out of the country.
Least now it's safe for us to
start thinking about getting
you discharged.
Would you like to meet again?
Coffee? Or a meal.
You look cold. Do you wanna
come in, have a cup of tea?
Just for a few minutes, then.
- Sure, love. What's your name?
- Paula.
We think he might have killed
a woman, and the lawyers are saying
we don't have enough to charge him.
We want to build a case against him
for his attack on you in December
1994,
and you'll be called
to give evidence.
- No.
After all that monster did to you.
Why don't you want to be part of
something that will put him away?
I solemnly declare and affirm
this is my lost fingertip.
- Miss Balmer. Miss Balmer.
- This is the scar made by the knife
that pierced through my right
breast and right lung!
- Miss Balmer!
If you carry on like this, you'll
destroy this case and Sweeney will
be back on the street.
He's laughing at you, Delia.
(OMINOUS MUSIC)
Captions by Able.
Captions were made with
support from NZ On Air.
Copyright Able 2024
- Would you like some water?
- No. I want wine.
Miss Balmer, in your own time,
please tell the court about the
events of the night of Thursday
the 22nd of December 1994.
You mean the night he killed me?
If that's how you
prefer to put it, yes.
It was the shortest, darkest day
of the year. It was about 6.30 PM.
I'd cycled home from work.
There was no one on the street.
I arrived home. I lent my bike up
against the railings as I always did.
I went to unlock my front door.
I went to pick up my bike. As I was
carrying it in, I heard him call my
name.
I looked over my right shoulder,
and he was coming up the steps.
Who do you mean by 'he',
Miss Balmer?
Him. John Sweeney.
Even though it has been seven years
since the attack, I am still affected
by my injuries.
Some days I feel like there's
a metal clamp crushing my chest,
and if I am touched, even
softly, on my right breast,
I get a horrible feeling
like an electric shock.
Both my arms hurt.
I can't grip properly.
I have difficulty lifting
anything of any weight.
And on cold days, the metal in
my left arm feels like ice.
I don't like looking at my injuries.
I have scars all over my body.
I don't like trying on clothes in
shops cos I feel like everybody is
looking at them.
And I especially hate
how my little finger looks.
I used to be proud of my hands, but
now when I look at my little finger,
it makes me feel sick.
Thank you, Miss Balmer.
Could you please tell the court what
have been the long-term effects of
the attack on your mental health?
Oh, well, I have been diagnosed
with PTSD, post-traumatic stress
disorder.
I feel anxious. I get angry
with people. I have nightmares.
And I have― I have been to see
psychiatrists and therapists.
Most of them have said
I need antidepressants,
which I have refused because I will
not put chemicals into my body.
Drugs trick you into thinking that
everything is all right when it is
not.
And do you know, I have lost
what little confidence I had.
I feel as though
I am in
a black hole.
And I am scared
to wake up in the morning
and face a new day
because I feel I have lost my future.
You had the option to give your
evidence from behind the screen
so that the defendant would
not be able to see you.
But you chose not to do that.
Why was that, Miss Balmer?
Was it because you wanted
to see Mr Sweeney?
No. Why should I hide from him?
I'm not scared of him.
You invited Mr Sweeney
to live in your home.
You were intimate with him
for almost four years.
Can you tell me why?
Cos I'm soft and stupid,
and I couldn't see through him.
Did you love Mr Sweeney,
Miss Balmer?
No, I did not.
I have never loved anyone.
You told Barstock Road Police that
Mr Sweeney had tied you to a bed and
repeatedly rapedyou.
That's correct, isn't it?
Yes.
And yet after your ordeal,
when the police offered to install
you in refuge accommodation in
Kings Cross, you refused.
Because the Kings Cross is full
of drug addicts and prostitutes.
Or was it because you still
had feelings for Mr Sweeney?
No.
Did you hope that he might
return to your flat
so that you could resume your
consensually sadomasochistic
relationship?
No, that is not
(QUIET MURMURS)
Oh my
Why do you have to twist everything
and make me out to be a liar?
It is unnecessary,
and it is dishonest.
Why is the law allowed to
treat people like this?
You see, because I just
want to be left alone.
Well done, Delia. Well done.
Uh, I wasn't there. I was
200 miles away in Skelmersdale.
Delia Balmer's lying because
she's got a grudge against me.
What about Miss Balmer's
neighbour, Joshua Wilson?
He identified you as a person
he saw attacking her.
Yeah. He's mistaken.
In March last year,
after your arrest,
police searched your flat
at Sicily Crescent
- Mm-hm. Yeah.
and discovered an artist's
portfolio containing 201 of your
drawings.
Two of those drawings are
of particular relevance
to your attempted murder
of Delia Balmer.
Well, I didn't attempt
to murder Delia Balmer.
Will the jury please turn
to picture exhibit page five
in the bundle?
This drawing shows a boot
about to crush a cockroach.
Did you do this drawing, Mr Sweeney?
- Yeah.
Do you remember if it was before
the attack on Delia Balmer on the
22nd of December 1994 orafter?
I've just told you I didn't
attack Delia Balmer,
so it's impossible to say
if it was before or after.
In the bottom right-hand
corner are the words 'a
cornered cockroach'.
Is this your handwriting,
Mr Sweeney?
- Yes, I think it is.
- Yes.
The cockroach has a woman's head.
Who is this woman, Mr Sweeney?
Delia Balmer.
Picture exhibit page six.
This is an enlarged detail
of the same drawing angled
to make it easier to read.
What you are looking at, ladies and
gentleman, is the front section of
the boot.
As can be seen, there are words
clearly visible on it.
Mr Sweeney, would you please
read what is written.
(TENSE MUSIC)
Mr Sweeney.
(QUIET MURMURS)
'May you never die
until I kill you.'
'May you never die
until I kill you.'
What point were you making by
writing those words on the boot?
No point.
Just black humour.
Moving on.
Page seven in the bundle.
This drawing shows a section of
a man's body. The man is wearing
jeans and a belt.
Tucked inside the belt is an axe
with blood clearly visible
on the blade.
Blood is dripping from the blade
on to a bloody scalp fringed with
blonde hair.
Did you do this drawing, Mr Sweeney?
- Yes.
- Do you remember when you drew it?
- No.
I'd like to draw the jury's
attention to the two patches of
white Tipp-Ex correction fluid
on the blade of the axe.
Using ultraviolet light, scientists
were able to discover words written
beneath the Tipp-Ex.
Please turn to picture
exhibit page eight.
Under the first patch of Tipp-Ex
is a date of birth,
13th of October 1956.
Under the second patch,
the words 'made in Liverpool'.
Where were you born, Mr Sweeney?
- I was born in Kirkdale.
You know that.
- An area of Liverpool.
- Yes.
Yes. And what is
your date of birth?
13th of October 1956.
So the words you Tipp-Exed
over refer to yourself.
I didn't write that. I didn't―
I didn't put Tipp-Ex on that.
I didn't write that.
Yet in the opinion of
the handwriting expert that we
consulted, it is your writing.
Let us turn back now to page seven.
As can be seen, there is a further
patch of Tipp-Ex at the bottom of
the page.
Ultraviolet light
revealed more writing.
Please turn to page nine
in the bundle.
December '94.
The very month and year
Delia Balmer was subjected
to a near fatal attack.
I didn't attack Miss Balmer.
I didn't write this.
And I certainly didn't
put Tipp-Ex on it.
- You do admit doing this drawing.
- Yes.
Of a man with a bloody axe.
The very weapon used in
the attack on Delia Balmer.
An extraordinary coincidence.
Would you not agree, Mr Sweeney?
That's what coincidences are,
isn't it? Eh? Extraordinary.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,
in a moment, you'll go out
and consider your verdicts.
The only verdicts that I can accept
are ones in which you are all agreed.
(TENSE MUSIC)
My Lord, the jury have been
in retirement for nine hours
and 40 minutes.
Mr Foreman,
have you reached a verdict
on which you are all agreed?
We have.
Is that in relation
to all four counts?
Yes.
On count one of the indictment,
the attempted murder
of Delia Balmer,
do you find the defendant,
John Patrick Sweeney,
guilty or not guilty?
- Guilty.
- You fucking idiot!
You're all fucking idiots!
You're all fucking idiots!
Christine says his sentencing
will be in three weeks.
The whole world is laughing at me.
No one's laughing at you.
No one with a shred of decency
could look at this and make
a judgement about you.
The only person this vile drawing
says anything about is him.
It's my face, David.
It's not your face.
This is your face.
(LIQUID POURS)
You're starting early.
To John Patrick Sweeney spending
the rest of his life behind bars.
To the damn police releasing a box
of cockroaches in his fucking cell.
(INTRIGUING MUSIC)
(DOORBELL BUZZES)
Four life sentences.
One for the attempted murder.
One each for the firearms offences.
Four life s―? Oh, fantastic.
Yeah. We couldn't have
done it without you, Delia.
Oh, will you join us for
a glass of champagne, Chris?
Oh, any excuse.
Come on, Delia. Come on.
So he'll spend the rest
of his life in jail.
Uh, well
Actually, the, um
the judge ruled that he'll be
eligible for parole in nine years.
What was that?
(UNSETTLING MUSIC)
Four life sentences
and he's up for parole
in nine years?
Oh, that's insane.
Honestly, none of us can make
head or tail of it. It's―
It's the same old fucking shit
is what it is!
- Sorry.
- No.
No, I'm sorry, David.
Well, it's not your fault.
You're not the bloody judge.
Well, this will probably
be my last visit.
Oh?
Yeah, the rules are very clear
on FLO exit strategies.
Unless Delia actually requests to
see me, which I don't see happening.
I'll be out of her hair now.
- Ah.
I wonder what my exit
strategy should be.
What, seriously?
- No, no. (CHUCKLES AWKWARDLY)
- Oh.
No, no, no. Delia and I
we're in this for the long haul.
We've found the teeth that
match each other's wounds.
We're fine! We're fine.
Adios, amiga.
'To John Stevens,
Police Commissioner.' What's this?
Police and the courts shouldn't be
allowed to get away with treating
victims like they treated me.
Oh, come on, Delia, now.
Stop, eh?
It's over, sweetheart.
L-Let's go out.
- I don't want to go out. My chest
hurts, and it's very, very cold.
All right, well, then
let's get a takeaway.
What do you want? Indian? Chinese?
- Do you know what, David?
We can't afford takeaways, not now
that you're taking so much time off.
For Christ's sake, Delia.
We're not fucking paupers, for
(SIGHS)
- (TAPS KEYS AGGRESSIVELY)
(TENSE MUSIC)
Let me look.
David Blunkett?
Yes. Sir John damn Stevens
got some flunky to reply,
so I'm going over his head.
'The letter I received from the
Metropolitan Police was an insult.
'I did not want to assist the law.
I was forced to.
'Them thanking me for testifying
totally misses the point.
'You might as well torture someone
then thank them for letting you
torture them.
'I do not accept their thanks.
'The police can stick
their thanks up their―'
Oh yeah. That'll work.
(TENSE MUSIC)
(SOFT MUSIC)
(MUSIC CONTINUES)
You want to go out later?
Mm-hm. Of course.
I wish I'd known you before.
Before what?
Well, Sweeney.
The police, the trial.
That's a stupid thing to say,
David. There's no point wishing
for something that never was.
When the defence barrister asked if
you still loved Sweeney, you said
you'd never really loved anyone.
Is that really true?
You know that about me, David.
I don't go in for any of that
mushy stuff. So
It's love, Delia.
It's not mushy stuff, for
(SIGHS, CHUCKLES)
So now you're not giving me any
wine cos you're feeling sorry for
yourself.
I'm paying for it.
Oh.
Oh! Now look what you've done!
- Keep your voice down.
- No, I won't keep my fucking
voice down, David!
Do you know I made a spectacle
of myself in the Old Bailey?
You think I care about making
a spectacle of myself
in a Greek fucking restaurant!
(PATRONS MURMUR)
Sorry.
(UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYS NEARBY,
PEOPLE CHATTER AND SHOUT)
(INDISTINCT CHATTER, LAUGHTER)
Whoa. Everything all right? Where
are you off to in such a hurry?
Home. Out of my way!
Hold on a moment.
Have you been drinking, madam?
Yes.
I don't― I don't know what
business it is of yours.
Are you American?
No, I'm not fucking American.
I was not drunk and disorderly.
I was walking home.
I have not done anything wrong.
What's your name?
Delia Balmer. I used to
live in Lavinia Gardens.
I'm in your computer.
The 22nd of December 1994. My
I was attacked with an axe.
I nearly died. There was a trial
at the Old Bailey last year.
How do you spell Balmer?
B-A-L-M-E-R.
(DISTANT SHOUTS)
(TENSE MUSIC)
Delia Balmer?
She's been here all night?
Yeah.
Did you not even check her
on the system?
She doesn't have a record.
Not as an offender. As a victim.
I'm sorry about the night
you had, Delia.
You're free to go.
I'll have a car run you home.
I'm not getting in
a fucking police car.
Delia! Oh, thank Christ.
Where have you been?
I've been worried sick!
I've been wandering the streets
half the night looking for you.
Yeah, well, I was arrested, so
What? What happened?
I want to talk about it.
I just want to sleep.
Do you want me to
come in with you?
It's not working
between us, David.
We're holding on to
something that's gone.
Well, do you want
to talk about that?
I mean, is there any point?
Cos I'll only get angry.
Right. Bye, then, David.
(TENSE MUSIC)
Stupid. Stupid.
Stupid. Stupid bitch.
(WHIMPERS)
(SIREN WAILS)
Yes.
OK, bye.
- Hi. Uh, sorry to interrupt.
- Mm-hm.
Uh, I'm on Lincoln Ward,
and, um
I'm a qualified therapeutic
masseuse,
and I was just wondering if that
might be something that would be
useful here or?
Absolutely, but I'm afraid
we don't have the budget.
All right. I can work for free.
(LIGHT MUSIC)
Hi. Uh, my name's Delia.
Sister said you'd like
a cranial massage?
(INDISTINCT CONVERSATION)
(MUSIC CONTINUES)
(CHUCKLES LIGHTLY) You know,
whenever I used to get shampoo
at the hairdressers,
I'd always ask for the extra
conditioner just to make it
last longer.
You are good, Delia.
Yeah, well, my lecturer at college
said I was the best in the class.
All the other students
said I pressed too hard.
Well, they were obviously idiots.
So, is there a Mr Delia at home?
- Nope.
What, you? So petite and cute.
(LAUGHS)
Some lucky fella's missing out.
Delia, it's after 11.
Go away, Tessa.
Delia is my handmaiden.
Isn't that right, Delia?
(UPLIFTING MUSIC)
(SIGHS)
- (LAUGHS)
(MUSIC CONTINUES)
(MUSIC FADES)
(OMINOUS MUSIC)
Oh, Nabil. (CHUCKLES)
Delia.
Mum, this is the lady
with the magic fingers.
Thanks for looking after him.
- You're leaving us?
- Yeah, for a bit.
I've hit a good patch, so Mum
is gonna pamper me at home.
You take care of yourself, Delia.
- Yeah.
Thanks for making
this shit bearable.
(COUGHS)
- Come on, you. Let's get you home.
- Let's do it.
Thanks so much.
(SOFT MUSIC)
(PHONE RINGS)
Barns Green Serious Crime Command.
DI Steve Smith speaking.
Hi, this is Detective
Astrid De Vries, Amsterdam CID.
Scotland Yard gave me your number.
I understand that your department
investigated the unsolved murder
of a woman, Paula Fields.
Uh, most of the team have moved
on, but, yes, the Paula Fields
investigation was based here.
How can I help?
I've got some news on the prime
suspect in the case, John Sweeney.
We've identified the remains of
a former girlfriend of his,
a young American woman,
Melissa Halstead.
A few weeks ago, a cold case team
in Rotterdam found a tissue sample
in storage
of an unidentified female body found
in a bag in a canal in Rotterdam in
We just got a DNA match with blood
supplied by Melissa's family back
in 1995.
It's her.
100%.
Melissa Halstead's remains
have been lying in Rotterdam's
municipal cemetery since 1990.
I was present at the exhumation.
The condition of the body
might be of interest to you.
Her head, hands, and feet
had been removed.
Same as Paula Fields.
OK, OK.
We need to figure out how to
work together on this.
John Sweeney has served almost six
years of his nine-year sentence.
Add to that the months he was
on remand, and the reality is
he could be out in two years.
That's at least how long
an investigation of this
magnitude will take.
And we're not helped by the fact
that neither us nor the Dutch have
a shred of forensic evidence
linking Sweeney to the murders of
Melissa Halstead or Paula Fields.
Well, on Melissa Halsted,
her dismembered remains were
found in a canal in Rotterdam
on May the 3rd 1990
but only recently identified
19 years later.
On Paula Fields, her dismembered
remains were found in Regent's Canal
on the 19th of February 2001.
We can connect Sweeney to the
two women ― various recorded
eyewitness accounts ―
but no connection
with their murders.
However, what are the chances of two
women having relationships with the
same man both ending upmurdered,
dismembered, heads, hands, feet
removed, put in bags and dumped
in canals?
Then there's this woman,
Delia Balmer, the survivor,
the girlfriend who came between
Melissa and Paula,
the woman whose attempted murder
Sweeney is currently doing time for.
On the 31st of May 1994,
Delia Balmer made a statement
to Barstock Road Police
in which she said Sweeney
told her he murdered Melissa.
That evidence has never
been put before a jury.
Delia Balmer?
What John Sweeney told you in 1994
was true except for one detail.
He disposed of Melissa's body in a
canal in Rotterdam, not Amsterdam.
I never said the canal
was in Amsterdam,
just that he said he killed her
in Amsterdam. Why are you here?
We're reopening the investigation
into the murders of Melissa Halstead
and Paula Fields,
and we intend to charge John Sweeney
with both offences, but it's a given
he'll plead not guilty.
No shit.
- We know the trial in 2001
was very difficult for you.
- Ha!
But if we can get
the case to court,
we'd greatly appreciate it if you
would consent to give evidence.
It― It would be much
easier this time.
You'd just have to talk about what
he told you he did to Melissa.
- No. No.
- That's all.
No.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
We think it's a bad idea to
put Delia Balmer on the stand.
Bad for us but very bad for her.
- You told her Sweeney's
coming up for parole?
- Yeah.
(SIGHS) I thought she'd relish the
opportunity to testify against him.
It's not about that for her.
She thought her ordeal was over.
She just wants to be done with
all this. She is that terrified
of being cross-examined again.
We want to suggest a compromise.
The Dutch have requested
a videotaped statement
of Delia talking about
Sweeney's Melissa confession.
If she agrees to it,
perhaps we could apply to the judge
to let the video statement serve
as her evidence in the trial.
That way the jury get to see her
but she avoids the ordeal of
being cross-examined live.
Live is what we need.
Our case against Sweeney is
still only circumstantial.
The jury needs to see
Delia Balmer in real time
telling them what Sweeney told her
he did to Melissa Halstead.
(KNOCK AT DOOR)
Sorry, boss. You gotta see this.
Merseyside Police conducted a search
on Sweeney's family home.
They found this lot in the original
police evidence bags.
It was restored to the family
in 2001 after he was convicted,
but no one thought to hang on
to it because the case wasn't
about Melissa.
Look at this.
- A scratch card?
- Turn it over, boss.
We've confirmed that's
Sweeney's handwriting.
'Poor old Melissa.
Chopped her up in bits.
'Food to feed the fish.
Amsterdam was the pits.'
And that's not all.
He's even dated them.
Amsterdam, Easter 1990.
Still think we need Delia
in court to win this thing?
Videotape her statement.
I'll talk to the judge,
see if we can keep her out of court.
Delia, please tell us
what John Sweeney told you during
the spring bank holiday of 1994.
No.
I wanna talk about Saturday
the 29th of June 2002
when I was wrongfully arrested
by Barstock Road Police
for being drunk and disorderly.
A policeman twice my size
put handcuffs on me
and then shoved me
into a police van.
I spent the whole
fucking night in a
dirty, smelly police cell.
I wrote to the station
superintendent.
And when he wrote back to me,
he didn't even fucking apologise.
He said what had happened to me
was an unfortunate incident
and he tried to shut me up
with a cheque for £42.50
for the dry cleaning of my suede
coat that they fucking ruined!
We didn't know she was intoxicated
until she let rip for the cameras.
It's not a problem,
though, is it, boss?
Not now we've got the photos and
the scratch card and everything?
There's has been a development.
Sweeney knows that we don't intend
to put Delia on the stand.
He's instructed his counsel to go
back to the judge and insist that
she be compelled to testify.
Given the seriousness of
the charges against him,
the judge has granted his request.
Yeah, well, I knew the creep
wasn't finished with me.
I knew he'd find some way of
stomping out what little life
I have left.
But it's not the end of the road.
We've got one card up our sleeve
where we can apply for
a medical exemption.
We'd get you to see
a forensic psychiatrist,
with your permission, obviously,
and see if we can get you declared
unfit to give evidence.
That's my only way out of this?
Seeing a shrink who'll
say how nuts I am?
Well, yes, but I wouldn't have
put it that way myself. But yes.
Well, what choice do I have?
I can't leave the country
cos my passport's expired,
so I'm trapped yet again.
Delia, medical exemptions
aren't easy to get.
So if the psychiatrist thinks
you're even slightly intoxicated,
that'll go into the report to the
judge, and it'll be game over.
You mustn't drink any alcohol
before the session.
Oh, no, I'll have to have a drink,
otherwise I'll be a mess.
But a sober mess.
And that'll count in your favour.
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)
(MUSIC CONTINUES)
(DOORBELL BUZZES)
Oh shit.
Come on, Delia.
(DOORBELL BUZZES)
I bought two bottles of wine and
a bottle of brandy last night,
and I didn't touch a drop,
so now
I feel dreadful.
Are you clear about the purpose
of this session, Delia?
Yep.
You're gonna decide whether or not
I'm mentally fit to give evidence
in court.
(MUFFLED DIALOGUE)
(SOFT MUSIC)
When I was lying on the steps,
thinking I was about to die,
I thought of my mum and dad
and my brothers Stewart.
They were alive then, Mum and Dad.
They died a couple of years ago,
within a year of eachother.
And I thought of them each.
(BREATHES SHAKILY)
And how they
how they were so far away.
I-I thought about how I would
never see them again and how
they would never see me.
(CHUCKLES SOFTLY)
And I
I clung to that memory
of their faces
because I wanted my last thoughts
to be only of them.
Can I go now?
Of course you can.
But
there's still 30 minutes
left on the clock, Delia,
paid for by the Met.
If there's anything you want to
talk about, anything at all,
now might be a good time.
I just want to go home.
The only thing holding her
together is her anger.
If her fear becomes greater
than her anger,
which is very close
to where she is now,
I think there's a real possibility
she might try to take her own life.
Dr Howes will tell the judge that
under no circumstances should you be
compelled to testify.
It's over.
'It was like he was letting out
something that he'd been keeping
deep inside.
'He told me that he killed
Melissa in Amsterdam
'and that he sat with
her body for three days.
'He didn't say how he killed her.
'He said he had cut her up
and put her in a bag
'and threw her in a canal.'
DELIA: Yeah, two life sentences.
No parole this time.
It's what they call here
a whole-life tariff, so
you know, he'll spend the
rest of his life in jail.
Oh, it's about goddamn time.
How do you feel, Delia?
Oh, I don't know.
Not much of anything.
You know, they told me that he
refused to leave his cell when
they read out the verdict.
- He must have been real mad.
- Mm.
Good riddance, I say.
You won, Delia.
He tried to kill you and he couldn't
because you were too strong.
Oh, I
I don't know if strength has
much to do with it, Stew.
Yes, it did.
You were always the strong one
in our family.
(SOFT MUSIC)
- Do you think that?
- I know it.
You remember when we first
moved to Detroit in '64
and there was that tornado
and the neighbour's house
moved off its foundations?
Yeah. What about it?
Dad was scared, and he wanted us
all to go into the basement.
You wanted to stay upstairs
and watch the storm.
Yeah, I remember.
I enjoyed it.
(CHUCKLES) You did.
We were all scared.
But not you.
(MUSIC CONTINUES)
(EXHALES SHAKILY)
(MUSIC CONTINUES)
Captions by Able.
Captions were made with
support from NZ On Air.
Copyright Able 2024