Victim profile: Tia Rigg, 12 (his niece)

The murder of Tia Rigg (4 January 1998 - 3 April 2010), was committed in Cheetham Hill, Manchester, England on 3 April 2010. Twelve-year-old Rigg was tortured, raped and murdered by her maternal uncle, John Maden.

On 4 October 2010 38-year-old Maden, who had pleaded guilty to the crime, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommendation that he should never be released, meaning that he will probably remain in prison until he dies.

Sentencing, Mr Justice Keith said: "This is one of those exceptional cases in which the only just punishment requires you to be imprisoned for the rest of your life." Maden is one of only around 40 prisoners who have been told by the appropriate authorities that their life sentences must mean life.

Murder

At 2:17pm on 3 April 2010 Maden, who had an "obsessive interest" in pornography relating to paedophilia, rape and torture, telephoned Rigg's mother and asked for Tia to go to his home in Dalmain Close, Cheetham Hill in order to babysit his ten-year-old daughter. When she arrived at 3:00pm he drugged her with Olanzapine, an antipsychotic tranquilizer that he had been prescribed.

He then inflicted a "horrific catalogue of sexual injuries" on her before stabbing her and strangling her with a ligature made from a guitar string. At 3:45pm Maden telephoned the 999 emergency services number and said: "Hi, I would like to report a murder." He then gave his name and address and when asked by the operator what had happened he replied: "My niece has been murdered by me ... I have just finished killing her now." Asked why he had killed her he answered: "Because I felt like it" and terminated the call.

Police officers from Greater Manchester Police arrived at the address two minutes later. Maden opened the door to the officers, who described him as "chillingly calm", and directed them upstairs. They found Rigg's body face-up on the floor of a spare bedroom, naked except for her socks, with the ligature still fastened around her neck and her hands tied behind her back with shoelaces. Next to the body were two knives, a broom handle and a sex toy, all of which were stained with blood.

An autopsy found that Rigg had suffered severe blood loss from her stab wounds and internal injuries but the primary cause of death was ligature strangulation.

Trial

Maden was tried at Manchester Crown Court on 4 October 2010. Prosecutor Gordon Cole QC told the court: "In the year or so prior to April this year, the defendant had developed what can properly be described as an obsessive interest in images and literature relating to paedophilia, rape and torture. He had an extensive library of such materials which included literature dealing with methods of killing."

Police had found "hundreds of extreme images of child abuse and violent pornography" on Maden's laptop, plus more material on his mobile phone in folders named "snuff", "snuff stories" and "brutal rape". Detective Chief Inspector David Warren, who led the investigation, revealed that Maden refused to explain his actions and had never shown remorse for the killing.

After pleading guilty to rape and murder, Maden was sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommendation that he should never be released. Passing sentence, Mr Justice Keith told him: "It is inescapable that Tia Rigg died because you decided to realise your fantasies about torturing and killing a young child. It is difficult to know how long Tia's ordeal lasted. The terror, the unimaginable pain you inflicted on her, the indignities you subjected her to while still alive. It was planned, it was premeditated and her agony must have been prolonged. This is one of those exceptional cases in which the only just punishment requires you to be imprisoned for the rest of your life."

Report

A report issued regarding the case found a catalogue of ‘serious failings’ by social services bosses charged with caring for the girl, and said social workers missed seven chances to help Tia, who had been placed on the ‘at risk’ register before she was even born. The report stated that social workers could have intervened to protect her from the severe behavioural problems suffered by her mother, Lynn Rigg, who had seven children by four different fathers, a history of heroin and crack cocaine addiction and a criminal record for robbery and assault.The report said that there were seven incidents which should have prompted children’s services to consider taking Tia and her siblings into care.

These included her mother attempting suicide in front of her children, leaving them home alone, and regular violence between family members at her home in Salford. The report said social workers had an ‘over-optimistic and unrealistic perception’ of her ability to care for her children and failed to appreciate the chaos of Tia’s family life.

Wikipedia.org

'I've finished killing her now': Uncle, 38, murdered niece, 12, while acting out a fantasy from his collection of violent porn

By James Tozer - DailyMail.com

May 13, 2011

A schoolgirl was lured into a trap by her pornography-obsessed uncle to fulfil his sick obsession with murdering a child.

John Maden, 38, who had downloaded a collection of sadistic 'snuff' movies from the internet, enticed his 12-year-old niece Tia Rigg to his home on the pretext of getting her to look after his daughter.

Instead he drugged the unsuspecting youngster before torturing and abusing her, then stabbing her in the stomach and strangling her with a guitar string.

Minutes later, Maden made a chilling 999 call in which he confessed to the horrific murder which he said he'd committed 'because I felt like it'.

Today he was ordered to serve the rest of his life behind bars for what a judge branded his 'unspeakable' crime, joining the ranks of Britain's most notorious murderers including Ian Brady and Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe.

The tragic case once again highlights the depraved material available for anyone to access on the internet.

It will also raise new concerns about Salford social services which had been monitoring Tia and last year came under fire over the killing of a vulnerable toddler.

Jobless Maden had become fascinated with sadistic 'snuff' movies - films showing a murder being committed - while downloading a sick library of violent pornography and explicit images of children, a court heard today.

Tia, the daughter of Maden's sister, Lynne, frequently came round to his home in Cheetham Hill, Manchester, to babysit for his ten-year-old daughter, and he secretly began plotting to act out his dreadful fantasy on her.

Searches of a laptop computer found he had done extensive research into killing, including downloading texts with a variety of violent titles.

The divorced father-of-one also downloaded more than 2,000 explicit images from the internet including the most extreme level five categories of child porn - police sources said he had obtained most of such photographs that are in existence.

On April 3 Maden called his sister and asked if Tia could come round to babysit, before drugging the youngster with tablets he had been given to combat his psychotic episodes.

Just 45 minutes after she arrived, Maden dialled 999 and made a 'chillingly calm' call to report what he had done.

Police officers found Tia's naked body with her hands tied behind her back and surrounded by two knives and a sex toy.

She had been tortured and raped before being stabbed in the stomach and finally strangled with a guitar string.

After his arrest, Maden claimed he had been listening to a 'bad voice' in his head 'controlling him and telling him what to do'.

Today at Manchester Crown Court he admitted rape, torture and murder and was jailed for life.

He was told the 'exceptional' nature of his crime meant he would never be eligible for parole, making him the 40th inmate in British custody with no prospect of being released.

Mr Justice Keith said: 'It is inescapable that Tia Rigg died because you decided to realise your fantasies about torturing and killing a young child.

'The fact that you chose your 12-year-old niece who had put her trust in you made what you did all the more unspeakable.'

He told Maden he had inflicted 'unimaginable pain' upon the schoolgirl and evidently hadn't cared what happened to himself thereafter.

'This was a horrific murder in which a young girl who had everything to live for and who placed her trust in you was inveigled into your lair.'

Maden's 'whole life tariff' contrasts with Soham murderer Ian Huntley and Sarah Payne's killer Roy Whiting, both of whom were ordered to serve a minimum of 40 years.

Afterwards Tia's devastated mother paid tribute to her 'baby girl'.

'When this nightmare happened, it killed me inside,' she said. 'My heart has been broken and will never mend. All that is left is a big empty hole.

'Tia was my whole world. I miss her big smile every morning and her beautiful freckly face.'

Tia was known to Salford social services, who were last year criticised in a report for failing to protect two-year-old Demi-Leigh Mahon, murdered by a teenage babysitter.

An independent review is examining Tia's involvement with the department, which was this year still branded 'inadequate' by inspectors.

*****

Transcript of the chillingly calm 999 call made by Maden

John Maden: 'Hi, I would like to report a murder.'

He is asked where it happened and gives his address and name, 'John Nigel Maden'.

Operator: 'Well what's happened there?'

Maden: 'My niece has been murdered by me.'

Operator: 'When has this happened?'

Maden: 'I have just finished killing her now.'

Operator: 'Why have you done that?'

Maden: 'Because I felt like it.'

He then gives her name as Tia Rigg and wrongly reports her age as 11. The call is cut off before being reconnected, with the operator asking for more details.

Maden: 'I am quite sure the officers that come to the house will be able to take all the details you need.'

Operator: 'How's it happened?'

Maden: 'I have used... with a knife and strangulation and that's it, bye.'

Officers arrived two minutes after the call was made and Maden was arrested.

Man jailed for life for rape and murder of his 12-year-old niece

John Maden drugged, tortured and killed his niece at his Manchester home in April, then called police to tell them of his crime

Helen Pidd and agencies - The Guardian

October 4, 2010

A man obsessed with violent child porn who called police to tell them he had raped and murdered his 12-year-old niece was told today by a judge he would spend the remainder of his life in prison.

John Maden, 38, was appearing at Manchester crown court for sentencing after pleading guilty to the rape and murder of his sister's daughter, Tia Rigg, on the afternoon of 3 April. He had asked his niece to his home babysit his child.

When she arrived at his house in Cheetham Hill, Manchester, Maden drugged her and inflicted a series of sexual injuries on her before stabbing and strangling her with a guitar wire.

A transcript of the 999 call was read to the court, in which Maden, who was taking anti-psychotic drugs, told the operator he had murdered Rigg because he "felt like it". Officers found her body at the scene.

Maden was arrested and later told police he heard "voices – one good voice and one bad voice" – in his head but admitted the rape and murder of his niece.

The court heard that Maden had an obsessive interest in pornography relating to paedophilia, rape and torture, keeping an "enormous pile" of the material at his home and on his mobile phone.

The judge, Mr Justice Keith, said: "It is inescapable that Tia Rigg died because you decided to realise your fantasies about torturing and killing a young child. It is difficult to know how long Tia's ordeal lasted. The terror, the unimaginable pain you inflicted on her, the indignities you subjected her to ... while still alive. He added: "It was planned, it was premeditated and her agony must have been prolonged. This is one of those exceptional cases in which the only just punishment requires you to be imprisoned for the rest of your life."

Tia's mother, Lynne Rigg, said: " Tia was loved by everyone, family and friends, but to me she wasn't just my daughter, she was my best friend.

"When this nightmare happened, it killed me inside. My heart has been broken and will never mend. All that is left is a big empty hole ... but now justice has been done, at least Tia can rest in peace."

She added: "Tia was a bright young girl who had her whole life ahead of her. She trusted her uncle and thought she was going to his house to babysit. He not only caused suffering to Tia but also to her family. He's refused to try and ease some of the pain by telling anyone why he did this and that has added to their upset. He will now have a long time to reflect on what he has done."