An appeal by a convicted serial killer against his death sentence, including a "confession" to another murder for which a man was executed, was rejected by a court on Friday.

Hebei Provincial Higher People's Court turned down the appeal by Wang Shujin, a death row prisoner convicted of raping and killing at least four women, and endorsed the original death sentence handed down by Handan Intermediate People's Court at the first trial.

The appeal court said in the verdict that Wang's version of events regarding the crime he "confessed" to did not correspond to several important details uncovered by the police. His recounting of the crime scene was due to the fact that he worked in a nearby factory and not because he was involved in the murder, police said.

Wang, 46, confessed to a rape-and-murder case in 2005 when he was arrested on suspicion of committing other crimes.

The case that Wang confessed to involved Nie Shubin, who was convicted of murder and was executed in 1995. Wang appealed in 2007 based on the fact that his testimony would clear the name of Nie.

Prosecutors said in the court hearing in June that Wang could recount part of the details in the case because was interrogated by police as a witness while the case was being investigated.