The ex-girlfriend of canal killer John Sweeney correctly predicted she would be his next target before she knew of his murderous past when she found a ‘body disposal kit’.
Delia Balmer was hacked to within an inch of her life by sadistic Sweeney, who also murdered two other women and is suspected of causing further deaths.
Prior to the attempt on her life, he had held her captive and repeatedly raped her for in a week-long ordeal, for which he was arrested but released on bail, and he immediately tracked down Ms Balmer.
Delia Balmer was hacked to within an inch of her life by John Sweeney (pictured together), who she had dated for three years
The serial killer murdered Melissa Halstead (left) and Paul Fields right), both of whom were dumped in the canal
Sweeney’s only surviving victim has written a book about her experiences, but admitted she wishes she had died on that fateful 1994 evening.
Retired nurse Ms Balmer, now 67, had first met Sweeney at a pub in Camden, north London, and the two became close after sharing a love of travelling.
At that time, she had no idea that he had already murdered one former partner, Melissa Halstead, and also would go on to kill Paula Fields.
Ms Halstead knew she would likely suffer the same fate as Miss Halstead when she found gloves, a ground sheet, rope, a saw and masking tape.
She told the Mirror it was: ‘A body disposal kit meant for me.’
Sweeney is now serving life behind bars for the two murders
Her relationship with Sweeney, from Merseyside, turned sour as possessive behaviour turned to death threats and assaults.
This culminated in Ms Balmer being tied down to their bed and sexually abused for seven days, with Sweeney threatening to cut off her tongue if she screamed for help.
During this sickening campaign on abuse, he confessed to killing Miss Halstead and dumping her body in a Rotterdam canal in 1990.
However, she did eventually inform police of what had happened and Sweeney was remanded in Pentonville Prison, only to be allowed out on bail and immediately track her down.
Sure enough, when Sweeney found her he brutally attacked her with an wooden axe and a blunt hammer, in which she lost a figure and sustained several other injuries, but revealed she was devastated to wake up in intensive care.
‘On the doorstep, I saw this finger fly through the air, and I thought:, “That’s it. I don’t want to live anymore. I don’t want to live in this anger and pain”,’ she said.
‘So I wasn’t happy when I woke up in an intensive care unit. I thought, “Oh no, I am alive. Now what hell?”‘
Sweeney’s only surviving victim has written a book about her experiences, but admitted she wishes she had died on that fateful 1994 evening
Sweeney went on the run for six years and killed 31-year-old mother Paula Fields, whose body was found in Regent’s Canal, London.
Three other women who Sweeney was known to have dated have never been found.
The fact he was locked up for life for a double murder conviction in 2011, 21 years after his first killing, is of no consolation to Ms Balmer.
She said: ‘He wanted me to die in pain, and he’s got his wish. I am going to die in pain, mentally and physically.’