Uncle, 38, murdered niece, 12, while acting out a fantasy from his collection of violent porn

By James Tozer
Last updated at 9:33 AM on 5th October 2010

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.

From: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1317626/John-Maden-raped-murdered-niece-Tia-Rigg-acting-internet-porn-fantasy.html