The Pembrokeshire Murders is a true crime drama that tells the story of how Welsh serial killer John Cooper was caught, thanks in part to the help of an ITV journalist.
The three-part series, which aired on ITV in 2021, stars Luke Evans as DS Steve Wilkins and Keith Allen as John Cooper.
The drama is based on real events and follows the reopening of two double murder cases from the 1980s, which were initially closed due to lack of evidence.
In 2006, DS Wilkins reopened the cases and used advanced forensic technology to identify a new suspect, John Cooper, who was on the verge of being released from prison for burglary.
ITV journalist Jonathan Hill, played by David Flynn, became involved in the case when the police needed the media’s help to gather more evidence.
Hill, who worked for ITV’s Wales at Six programme, had been planning to produce a documentary about the murders, but agreed to put it on hold to avoid spooking Cooper.
In an interview ahead of the series’ release, Hill explained: “So we kept the deal and I agreed to shelve my programme in return for getting the inside story when they were ready.
“Steve [Wilkins] also realised he needed the media because he wanted to make a broadcast, that would send a message to Cooper, who was in prison and they knew that he watched the ITV news.
How journalist helped to catch The Pembrokeshire Murders killer John Cooper (Image: ITV)
How journalist helped to catch The Pembrokeshire Murders killer John Cooper (Image: ITV)
“So it was slightly stage-managed that we revealed that the cases were being investigated. They wanted to see what Cooper’s reaction would be.
“It was very much a coded message directly to the killer, who they believed was Cooper.
“The next day, Cooper went into the prison library and took out books on cold cases and DNA so it clearly did have an impact.”
Hill also assisted Wilkins in obtaining a copy of an old episode of the 1980s game show Bullseye, which featured Cooper.
The Pembrokeshire Murders: The real-life Steve Wilkins and Jonathan Hill with actors Luke Evans and David Flynn. (Image: ITV)
This turned out to be a significant breakthrough in the case as the murderer revealed to host Jim Bowen his familiarity with the location where two victims would be killed just weeks later.
The footage was also utilised to compare the unknown man in the police sketch, with Cooper bearing a striking resemblance to the suspect.
With this unearthed footage and the DNA evidence, Cooper received a whole life sentence for the double murders in 2011.
After his incarceration, Wilkins and Hill collaborated once more to pen their revealing book The Pembrokeshire Murders: Catching the Bullseye Killer, detailing how they eventually apprehended Cooper.
The Pembrokeshire Murders is available to watch on .