How ITV journalist helped to catch The Pembrokeshire Murders serial killer

dailyrecord.co.uk:

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."So it was slightly stage-managed that we revealed that the cases were being investigated.