COPENHAGEN - The Danish inventor suspected in the death of a Swedish journalist who went on a trip on his home-made submarine has told a pre-trial custody hearing that she died after she was accidentally hit by a heavy hatch in the submarine's tower.

Peter Madsen said 30-year-old Kim Wall then dropped to the floor and bled from an open skull fracture.

Wall's torso was found off Copenhagen last month. Police say her head, arms and legs had been deliberately cut off and have not been found.

Madsen was arrested Aug. 11 and had been detained on preliminary charges of manslaughter and indecent handling of a corpse.

He appeared Tuesday before a judge who will decide whether to extend his custody.