The 23-year-old man arrested in April in connection with a string of stabbing incidents involving women and girls out alone in rural areas, confessed shortly after he was picked up, a court was told on Thursday.

The court was also told that the man injured another woman by driving into her, and has also confessed to that crime, local broadcaster NH-Nieuws reported.

In total, three women and one girl were stabbed over a period of under three months, leading police to warn women not to go out running or cycling alone in the area where the attacks took place.

The most recent event, at the end of January,  involved a 15-year-old girl who was stabbed while cycling in Barsingerhorn, about 15 kilometres south of Den Helder. The driver of a small car coming from the opposite direction stabbed the girl in the arm with a sharp object, causing her to fall.

She was able to cycle home and alert the police, but the car could not be traced.

The man was arrested after the case was included in local and national crime-stopper television shows. Police said witness testimony and other evidence allowed them to link the cases and trace the suspect.

The main case will be heard in October, when the man will also face charges of stalking and threatening at least six other women, NH-Nieuws said.