Taiwanese police have arrested a 22-year-old man who stabbed a nurse during a bungled robbery last week, then returned to profess his love for her.

The man stabbed the 18-year-old woman in the back before repenting and taking her to the hospital for treatment.

"When I noticed how lovely you look, I changed my mind," he wrote in a love note he placed on the nurse's scooter, apologising and offering compensation.

Police arrested the unnamed man as he waited for the nurse to return.

"The suspect was caught as he tried to express his love for the victim," said a police officer accompanying the woman, who was not seriously injured.

"It wasn't a routine case," the officer in Taiwan's Miaoli county told the AFP news agency.

Local reports said the unnamed man had stolen her wallet, which contained 56 Taiwanese dollars, less than $2 (£1).