The man charged with the murders of three Bradford prostitutes has been treated by medics after reportedly trying to kill himself while on remand in a high-security prison.

Self-styled "Crossbow Cannibal" Stephen Griffiths, 40, was taken to the care wing at HMP Wakefield after being found unconscious on the floor of his cell with a sock tied round his neck.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice said: "We can confirm that a prisoner at HMP Wakefield received treatment in the prisoner care wing following an incident of self-harm."

Griffiths did not suffer any serious injuries and did not need to be taken to an outside hospital but he remained in the prison care wing today, sources told the Telegraph & Argus.

Senior detectives will be liaising with the prison authorities over the incident.

Griffiths, who was studying for a PhD in local history at the University of Bradford, was arrested from his third-floor flat at Holmfield Court, Thornton Road, near to Bradford city centre, on Monday, May 24.

He is accused of murdering vice girls Suzanne Blamires, 36, Shelley Armitage, 31, and Susan Rushworth, 43, who all disappeared while working in Bradford during the past year.

The former public schoolboy appeared at Bradford Crown Court via a videolink on Monday, where his legal team said it was going to consult experts to assess his "mental state".

During the 29-minute hearing, Griffiths spoke only to confirm his name and sat through the majority of the proceedings with his arms folded, leaning on a desk at Wakefield Prison with his head bowed.

Judge James Goss QC set a review hearing next month, and a provisional trial date for November 16 at Bradford Crown Court.

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

Body parts belonging to Miss 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 Miss Armitage.

Meanwhile, murder squad detectives have turned their attention to Bradford University as the search for the body of missing prostitute Susan Rushworth continued.

West Yorkshire Police have already discovered human remains confirmed as those of Suzanne Blamires and body tissue belonging to Shelley Armitage.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman yesterday said the huge search for clues to Miss Rushworth’s whereabouts and clues to the disappearance of the other two women was ongoing, with officers searching near the University.

They were also continuing to hunt for clues behind Holmfield Court, Thornton Road, Bradford, where Phd student Griffiths lived. Officers were also at Quebec Street, near the city centre.

A search of the River Aire, between Shipley and Saltaire was temporarily put on hold yesterday.