Kim Wall's murder suspect 'had films of beheaded women'

Danish inventor Peter Madsen charged with murdering Swedish journalist Kim Wall in his homemade submarine had video footage on his computer showing women being violently killed, a court heard on Tuesday.

Wall, a 30-year-old freelance journalist who was researching a story on Madsen, went missing after he took her out to sea in the 17-metre craft in August.

Videos of women being decapitated alive have been found on the hard drive of the maverick Danish inventor accused of murdering the Swedish journalist aboard his homemade submarine, the prosecutor said on Tuesday.

A state prosecutor said officers found images "which we presume to be real" of women being strangled and decapitated on the hard drive on Madsen's computer in a laboratory he ran.

That, together with new post-mortem evidence showing Wall was stabbed in her ribcage and genitals "around or shortly after her death," was adding to the case against Madsen, the prosecutor, Jakob Buch-Jepsen, told the Copenhagen court.

DNA tests from Madsen's nails, face and neck showed a clear match with Wall's, Buch-Jepsen said.

"Our suspicion hasn't changed, it has been strengthened since the last hearing on September 5," he added.

Madsen denies accusations

"This hard drive doesn't belong to me," Madsen insisted, saying numerous people had access to his workshop. 

"We had, among others, an intern living there," he said.

The court heard he had been working on building a space rocket in the lab.

Madsen, who denies murdering Wall and another charge of mutilating her body, appeared in court via video link dressed in a green boiler suit.

He said the computer searched by police was not his.

Madsen has also denied amputating her limbs, saying he tried to bury her whole body at sea.

He remained calm during the pre-trial session, sitting with his hands folded most of the time. 

Investigation continues

Accused of Wall's death and desecrating her body by throwing it overboard, self-taught engineer Madsen appeared in court where his custody was extended until October 31.

On August 23, police identified a headless female torso washed ashore in Copenhagen as Wall's.

Prosecutors believe Madsen killed Wall as part of a sexual fantasy, then dismembered and mutilated her body.

Madsen, 46 and married, has maintained that she died on board when a 70-kg hatch door fell on her head, and in a panic he threw her overboard. 

He insisted her body was intact at the time.

Prosecutors believe, however, that he dismembered her before throwing her into the sea. 

The final autopsy on the torso was not able to establish the cause of death. 

However, it did show multiple mutilation wounds to Wall's genitals.

Police continue to search for the rest of her remains.

The court ordered him detained for another four months as investigations continued.