A double BAFTA winning true crime drama set in Pembrokeshire will now be available to an international audience as it premiers on Netflix this week.
The Pembrokeshire Murders, based on the true story of the arrest and conviction of Pembrokeshire serial killer John William Cooper, is currently the third most viewed television programme in Netflix’s UK chart.
The three-part true-crime story stars Hollywood actor Luke Evans and follows the story of the investigations into the murders and crimes committed by John William Cooper - named the Bullseye Killer after his appearance on the TV show of the same name.
Adapted from the true crime book The Pembrokeshire Murders: Catching the Bullseye Killer (2012) written by senior investigating officer Steve Wilkins and ITV news journalist Jonathan Hill, the show portrays the cold case review, the pursuit of John Cooper and the collection of forensic evidence that led to his life sentencing in 2011.
David Flynn stars as ITV Journalist Jonathan Hill, and Keith Allen as murderer John Cooper.
John William Cooper committed murders, first on siblings Richard and Helen Thomas who were fatally shot inside their Milford Haven home, Scoveston Manor, before it was burned down by the killer in 1985.
Four years later, in 1989, Oxfordshire couple, Pete and Gwenda Dixon, were enjoying their annual Little Haven holiday before being robbed and shot on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path.
Both double murders remained unsolved until senior investigating officer Steve Wilkins reopened them in 2006 under the ground breaking Operation Ottawa.
Cooper was charged for the murders in 2009 following a cold case review. He was also charged with two serious sexual assaults and five attempted robberies in Milford Haven in 1996.
After a trial that gripped the nation, which included evidence heard from beyond the grave, Cooper was convicted of the four horrific murders as well as raping a 16-year-old girl and sexually assaulting her friend.
He was jailed for life without hope of parole in May 2011.
The Western Telegraph followed the case from the moment Cooper was charged, through a crown court trial to the relief of the families of his victims, Peter and Gwenda Dixon and Richard and Helen Thomas. Look back at through our archives here.
The ITV true crime drama based on the police investigations from 2006 to 2011 took home two BAFTA Cymru awards for Best Television Drama while director Marc Evans also won Best Director: Fiction.
The drama was filmed partly on location in Pembrokeshire, with heartthrob Luke Evans making waves when he popped in to change at Goodwick’s Ocean Lab.
A local canine also got in on the action, as Monty the black labrador starred as the dog of a retired detective who was on the Cooper case when the murders happened back in the late 80s.
Other Pembrokeshire locations used in filming were Fishguard, Freshwater East, Trefin and parts of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path.
The Pembrokeshire Murders is available now to view on Netflix.
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