Mother-of-Ten Convicted for 25-Year 'Dickensian' Slavery Ordeal
A mother-of-ten is facing a certain prison sentence after being found guilty of orchestrating a 'Dickensian' campaign of abuse that saw a vulnerable woman kept as a domestic slave for a quarter of a century. The shocking case, heard at Gloucester Crown Court, has revealed harrowing details of long-term servitude and systematic control.
Weekend Visit Turned 25-Year Nightmare
Amanda Wixon, 56, of Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, initially agreed to take in the victim for a weekend in 1996 when the girl was of secondary school age. What was meant to be a short stay turned into a 25-year imprisonment that only ended in 2021 when the enslaved woman used a secretly hidden phone to raise the alarm with authorities.
When police officers attended Wixon's address, they discovered the victim – now a woman in her 40s – in a deeply distressing state. She was found bruised and without teeth, sleeping in a mouldy, damp bedroom that prosecutors likened to a prison cell. Bodyworn footage captured her appearing thin, timid, unwashed, and fearful, with visible injuries she attributed to Wixon.
Systematic Control and Deprivation
The court heard how the victim was tightly controlled throughout her ordeal, rarely permitted to leave the two homes where she lived with Wixon over the decades. Prosecutors outlined how she was:
- Required to ask for food and frequently denied adequate nutrition
- Deprived of washing facilities, with the victim telling officers she hadn't bathed in over a year
- Denied medical and dental care, with no adult records existing for her
- Forced to clean extensively, often on her hands and knees
- Made to care for Wixon's children while being frequently assaulted
Prosecutor Samuel Jones told the jury: 'She was kept in and prevented from leaving the address and she was assaulted and hit many, many times and forced to work with the threats of violence.'
Neighbour Testimonies and Hidden Suffering
Neighbours described Wixon as a 'controlling woman' and expressed shock at the revelations. One resident who had lived nearby for twenty years recalled: 'I would regularly see her in the garden. She would be hanging the washing out or tending the garden, but then she disappeared. I thought she had moved, but all the time she must have been in the house.'
Another neighbour described the victim as resembling 'something out of a concentration camp', while others reported witnessing her being humiliated and abused in the garden. Some noted they would only occasionally see her sitting alone at a window, waving.
Medical Evidence and Recovery
Following her rescue, medical professionals documented the physical toll of the victim's ordeal. A doctor noted large thick calluses on both ankles, which the victim attributed to long hours cleaning floors on her hands and knees. A dentist confirmed she must have suffered extreme pain from rotting teeth.
Since being removed from Wixon's control, the woman's health has significantly improved. She has gained weight, grown her hair as she always wanted, and even returned to college. When given dentures, she became highly emotional at seeing herself with teeth for the first time in years.
Defence Arguments and Jury Verdict
The defence rejected allegations of systemic abuse, with Edward Hollingsworth describing the prosecution case as 'a tale of fantasy and lies'. He argued the victim was 'highly suggestible' and claimed that while Wixon may have been negligent, this did not constitute the systematic abuse alleged.
Hollingsworth pointed to evidence that the victim had been on the electoral roll and that benefits agencies knew she lived at Wixon's home. He also noted she had been allowed on some trips, including to the beach and benefits office.
However, the jury found Wixon guilty of:
- Two counts of requiring a person to perform forced or compulsory labour
- One count of false imprisonment
- Three counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm
She was cleared of one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Sentencing and Judicial Comments
Judge Ian Lawrie KC granted Wixon conditional bail ahead of a sentencing hearing scheduled for March. However, he made it clear that a prison term was 'a certainty'. While summing up the case, Judge Lawrie remarked that the prosecution's outline of long-term domestic servitude had an 'almost Dickensian quality'.
The court heard that following her removal from the house, the victim initially suffered trauma symptoms and nightmares about Wixon's abuse. Prosecutors highlighted how her dramatic improvement since escaping captivity spoke volumes about her previous treatment.
Mr Jones asked jurors in his closing speech: 'How has she been able to achieve all those things – what does that tell you about her treatment by the defendant?'
