A man accused of shooting his father, mother and sister in the head with crossbow bolts before finishing them off with a machete is to go on trial in Germany.

Accused Andreas S., 27, is said to have begun the grim slaughter at the family home in the municipality of Roevershagen, near Rostock, in the north-eastern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, on 7th February.

The court will hear how he first killed his sleeping 52-year-old father firing a crossbow bolt into his head before slashing his neck with a machete.

Prosecutors say he next killed his 25-year-old sister just hours later after luring her to the house claiming he had a surprise for her.

Andreas S. is said to have made her kneel down in the hall and wear opaque glasses and earmuffs so as not to spoil the surprise.

Then he allegedly shot her three times in the head with the crossbow and stabbed her in the chest, piercing her heart and lungs, catching the blood in a plastic pond liner.

Finally, four days later (on 11th February) the accused collected his mother from the railway station and brought her home.

Again he told her he had a surprise and persuaded her to wear the glasses before allegedly firing a crossbow bolt into her head and finishing her off with the machete, the court will hear.

Andreas S. then built DIY coffins and allegedly used an industrial digger to excavate graves in a field 12 kilometres (1.2 miles) away, near the Koesterbeck nature reserve, on 28th February.

He was arrested in March and has reportedly confessed to the triple murder.

It is understood that there was no diminished responsibility, according to local media.

It is currently unclear why the defendant allegedly murdered his family.

Andreas S. is set to go on trial on 15th November.