Hong Kong  - A stalker with a fetish for big bottoms was behind bars Friday after spreading fears of syringe attacks in Hong Kong by poking women in the buttocks with toothpicks.

The attacks by 43-year-old Vietnamese labourer Pham Van Diep in early October triggered fears of random syringe attacks similar to incidents reported in Xinjiang, western China, in September.

The hunt for the attacker drew wide publicity after two women told how they had been followed and felt stabbing pains in their buttocks. One returned home and found a painful red dot on her backside.

At a court hearing Thursday, however, Diep said he followed women in Hong Kong and poked their bottoms with toothpicks because he "could not resist their big buttocks."

He pleaded guilty to two assaults and was remanded in custody to allow for psychiatric reports to be prepared. (dpa)