Fans of ITV's Until I Kill You have spotted a major problem in the show's outcome.
The true crime drama, which first landed on the channel on Sunday (November 3) tells the true story of Delia Balmer, who was subjected to abuse at the hands of John Sweeney. Unbeknownst to Delia, however, John had already killed two women previously.
Viewers have been glued to their seats watching the show, as Delia is gradually imprisoned within her own home at the hands of the vile John, played by Shaun Evans. Things lull for a while after he is detained by police, but after being released on bail, the killer targets Delia, played by Anna Maxwell Martin, with a knife, and then an axe, all outside her home.
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The show culminates with the long-standing trial of John Sweeney in court, with Delia testifying against her former flame. However, the show ends with the anti-climactic news that John was only given a mandatory nine years in prison, despite the severity of the attack.
Fans watching the show were left horrified at the judge's decision to only send him to prison for nine years. "How can someone be given four life sentences and be eligible for parole in nine years? It’s crazy," penned one stunned viewer.
A second showed their own shock and horror, writing on their social media: "Four life sentences. What?!?! Eligible for parole in nine years?!!!" Whilst a third admitted there was still a long way to go, adding victims are "let down by the criminal justice system time and time again."
Delia, who herself helped in the writing of the show, openly criticised the judge's verdict in a documentary that was released alongside the drama itself. Speaking candidly about her ordeal, she confessed that her experience has left her "angry" and frustrated.
"I remain an angry person, Sweeney was let out on bail," she fumed. "The police gave me insufficient protection before his final assault; later, I was forced to go to court to be further traumatised by the system."
The show's chief writer Nick Stevens also admitted he was shocked at Delia's reaction to Sweeney's jail sentence. "One of the things I find most baffling about Delia is the fact that her greatest resentment and most ferocious anger is directed not at John Sweeney, but at the police and the court system," he said.
"Her bitterest tirades are reserved for them. Maybe this has its roots in the catastrophic decision to grant Sweeney bail in the winter of 1994 – thus enabling Sweeney to carry out his savage, near-fatal attack on Delia."
The show has gone on to become a smash hit, with fans across the country taking to their social media to share their frustrations about the trauma that she had to go through. Viewers have also turned their attention to John himself and the legal system, with one fuming viewer saying: "The law is evidently an a**e."
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