A suspected serial killer has confessed to killing and eating homeless street children whose skulls he crushed with bricks as they slept.

Thandolwenkosi Ndlovu, aged 20, who has been connected to at least eight murders in Harare, in Zimbabwe, told cops he had consumed human flesh in a confession he later tried to claim had been forced out of him by the police.

He has admitted to the gruesome killings but later tried to step back from his admission that he was a cannibal.

Ndlovu, who currently faces five charges of murder and attempted murder, appeared before Harare magistrate Ethel Chichera and claimed he was coerced by investigators into the confession.

Between 28th August and 4th September, the accused is alleged to have targeted homeless people while they slept, crushing their heads with bricks before cutting at their bodies with broken glass, cutting off their genitals and removing their intestines.

Cops say he then cooked and ate parts of their flesh.

He was arrested in Harare on 4th September.

National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi has confirmed that Ndlovu has been linked to at least five murders in Harare.

He has also reportedly been linked to three homicide cases in Bulawayo, some 450 kilometres (280 miles) from Harare.

Local media has reported that investigators have found no evidence so far to suggest that the killings were for ritual purposes.

The investigation is ongoing.