Crossbow Cannibal Stephen Griffiths back in court on three murder charges

Griffiths appeared at Sheffield Crown Court via videolink from Wakefield Prison.

He is charged with murdering Bradford sex workers Suzanne Blamires, Shelley Armitage and Susan Rushworth.

Griffiths, 40, referred to himself as the "Crossbow Cannibal" when he appeared before magistrates last month.

Today, he sat behind a table for the 26-minute hearing sporting a beard and wearing a grey prison jumper.

He appeared on the screen in front of a blue wall and spent most of the time staring down with his arms folded or his head in his hands.

The judge, Mr Justice Openshaw, decided the provisional trial date of November 16, set at the last hearing, was to be vacated.

He said a new date would have to be fixed at a later hearing.

The criminology student is charged with murdering Ms Blamires, 36, between May 20 and May 25; murdering Ms Rushworth, 43, between June 22 2009 and May 25 this year; and murdering Ms Armitage, 31, between April 25 and May 25 this year.

Ms Blamires was last seen on May 21, Ms Armitage has been missing since April 26, and Ms Rushworth disappeared on June 22 last year.

Body parts belonging to Ms Blamires were found in the River Aire in Shipley on May 25 and tests confirmed that a small piece of human tissue later found in the water belonged to Ms Armitage.

When he was asked for his name during his first appearance at Bradford Magistrates' Court on May 28, Griffiths replied: "The Crossbow Cannibal."

Asked for his address, he answered: "Erm... here, I guess."

A team of more than 130 police staff took part in the investigation into the deaths of the prostitutes, although it is understood the river search is now over.

Griffiths, a psychology graduate undertaking postgraduate research in criminology at Bradford University, was arrested on May 24 at a flat on the edge of Bradford's red-light district.

Griffiths, of Thornton Road, Bradford, was told his case will be heard again on October 15 at Bradford Crown Court and a decision will be made later whether he will appear in person or by videolink.