Dariusz Pawel Kotwica: 'Europe's first serial killer' could have committed 'serious crimes' in Britain

Murderer reportedly lived in the UK for several years

Police tracked down Mr Kotwica using forensic evidence shared under the European Prum data-sharing scheme (Polisen)

A Polish serial killer who left a trail of victims in at least six countries may have committed "serious crimes" in the UK, it has been reported.

Dariusz Pawel Kotwica carried out a range of murders, rapes and attacks as he travelled through the continent's open borders before eventually being apprehended in Germany.

The 29-year-old has since admitted stabbing an elderly woman and her husband to death in Vienna, Austria, and killing a pensioner in Sweden.

But an official Home Office report seen by The Mail on Sunday reveals Kotwica lived in the UK for several years - and detectives fear he may continued offending during that period.

Details of Kotwica’s alleged killing spree emerged in a report commissioned by the Home Office on the benefits of European police forces sharing information.

Police have said he takes "joy" in torturing victims and he wrote bizzare phrases on the Austrian woman's naked body after raping her.

Investigations continue as DNA samples left at old crime scenes are being analysed to see if they match the murderer.

The Polish national is currently awaiting trial in Austria after being tracked down in Germany.

Professor David Wilson, professor of criminology at Birmingham City University, told the Mail on Sunday: "It shows how important the road network between states and countries is if a serial killer wants to evade detection.

"It’s a phenomenon we usually see in the US but increasingly we are going to have to acknowledge that because of the Schengen system [which allows the free movement of people across the Continent] it will also apply to the EU."