A waiter accused of raping and murdering British schoolgirl Caroline Dickinson had a history of preying on children in youth hostels across Europe, a court heard yesterday,

Francisco Arce Montes, 54, from Spain, had a preference for girls aged between 12 and 15, the opening day of his trial in Rennes, France, was told.

After his arrest, Montes admitted to police he had attacked 13-year-old Caroline in a hostel dormitory, but insisted she was still breathing when he fled.

The prosecution claim that Montes had tried, unsuccessfully, to sexually assault an English girl in another hostel earlier on the night Caroline died. Frustrated by his failure, he drove 12 miles and broke into the hostel where Caroline and 40 other pupils of Launceston College, Cornwall, were sleeping.

Caroline died "in tens of seconds and a maximum of two minutes" from suffocation, the court heard.

The schoolgirl's parents, John, 45, and his 46-year-old former wife, Sue, sat in court with their other daughter Jenny, 19, listening intently as the case was outlined.

Montes sat blank-faced and seemingly unconcerned, mostly staring ahead across the courtroom.

When the case had been outlined, Judge Fabienne Doroy looked across at the defendant and said: "Do you agree with what has been said?"

After a pause Montes muttered: "Would you like me to answer? I agree."

Montes has been awaiting trial since his arrest in Florida and extradition to France in November 2001.

He is charged with raping and murdering Caroline at the hostel in the village of Pleine Fougeres, Brittany, in July 1996.

Multilingual Montes worked as a waiter in London between 1993 and 1997 but made trips across the Channel to France.

The court heard that he enjoyed visiting youth hostels, with records showing him breaking into one in France in July 1993, returning to the same centre almost a year later, when he invited a young Irish girl to leave with him.

In 1994, he was held by French police after twice breaking into a schoolgirl's hostel room, but was let off with a caution.

In 1997, a year after Caroline's death, Montes was charged with the attempted rape of a 19-year-old in Spain. He was released on bail but fled to Florida.

The case continues.