The student suspected of murdering three people who were out walking their dogs earlier this year has confessed to the killings.

Thijs H was appearing in court for a procedural hearing, during which he said that he had been instructed by voices in his head to carry out the crimes.

H also told the court he would cooperate fully with plans to send him to the Pieter Baan psychiatric clinic for an assessment.

H, who is studying for a Master’s degree in industrial ecology at Delft University, was arrested in May after police put out a nationwide alert.

He faces charges of killing three people – two people found dead on heathland in Limburg and a woman whose body was found in woods near Scheveningen.

After the arrest it transpired H had reported to a clinic in Maastricht seeking help but later left. He was picked up after police circulated a photograph of him taken at the clinic itself.

The next hearing will take place in November.