A Gloucestershire woman who kept a vulnerable victim captive in her home for more than two decades has been jailed for 13 years.
Amanda Wixon, 56, forced the woman – now in her 40s – to live in degrading conditions at her home in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire. The victim was beaten, starved and forced to work while surviving on scraps of food.
Wixon, a mother of 10, also stole more than £100,000 in benefits that were meant for the victim.
Police discovered the abuse in March 2021 after one of Wixon’s sons alerted authorities. Officers who entered the property described the victim’s bedroom as resembling a prison cell, with a basic bed covered in filthy sheets, mould-covered walls and no light bulb.
The woman, identified only as “K”, has learning difficulties and had known Wixon since childhood through family connections. She moved into Wixon’s home in 1996 at the age of 16.
Over the next 25 years, prosecutors said Wixon subjected her to extreme cruelty. The victim was forced to care for Wixon’s children, locked inside the house and denied proper food, medical treatment and dental care.
The court heard she was repeatedly assaulted, including being beaten with a broom handle that knocked out some of her teeth. Cleaning liquid was forced down her throat and bleach was thrown on her face.
K was also prevented from washing herself and had to secretly bathe at night. On one occasion, Wixon strangled her and pushed her head into a toilet.
Doctors who examined K after she was rescued said she was malnourished and had scarring around her mouth believed to have been caused by exposure to cleaning chemicals. Calluses on her ankles suggested she had spent long periods kneeling while cleaning floors.
For years, Wixon had benefits intended for the victim paid directly into her own bank account.
Sentencing Wixon at Gloucester Crown Court, Judge Ian Lawrie KC said she remained in “permanent denial” about the harm she had caused.
“The gravity of your offending is so serious that I am imposing a significant period of custody,” he said.
“The enduring trauma of that slavery remains. This offending was persistent and continued over many years.”
Wixon was convicted of modern slavery offences, including forcing someone to perform compulsory labour, false imprisonment and assault causing actual bodily harm. She will serve two-thirds of her sentence.