Woman Sentenced to 13 Years for Decades of 'House Slave' Abuse
Amanda Wixon, a 56-year-old woman from Gloucestershire, has been jailed for 13 years after being found guilty of forcing a teenage girl to live as a 'house slave' for 25 years in what prosecutors described as a 'Dickensian' story of sustained abuse.
Horrific Conditions and Systematic Abuse
The victim, now in her mid-40s, moved into Wixon's overcrowded home in the Priors Park area of Tewkesbury in 1995 and remained trapped there until her rescue in 2021. During this quarter-century ordeal, she was subjected to regular beatings with a broom handle, had her teeth knocked out, washing-up liquid squirted down her throat, and bleach splashed on her face.
The abuse extended to complete control over her existence - her head was repeatedly shaved against her will, she was limited to scraps of food, prevented from leaving the house, and forced to wash secretly at night. The family home was described as squalid, with mould on walls, plaster hanging off, and rubbish accumulating in the garden.
A Life of Forced Servitude
Gloucester Crown Court heard that the victim, who has learning difficulties, initially went to stay with Wixon for a weekend after leaving her own 'dysfunctional family.' She never left. Prosecutors detailed how she was kept prisoner, prevented from leaving the address, assaulted 'many, many times,' and forced to work under constant threats of violence.
'She had been denied food and the ability to wash over many years,' prosecutor Sam Jones told the jury. The woman's bedroom was described by police as looking like a 'prison cell,' with other bedrooms equally untidy and dirty.
Complete Isolation from Society
Perhaps most chilling was the victim's complete disappearance from official records. Social services had been involved with the family in the late 1990s, but there were no records of any contact since. The woman had no medical or dental records and hadn't seen a doctor in two decades.
'By the late 1990s it appears the woman disappeared into a black hole,' Mr Jones said. 'Not a single meeting that left a record or a single sighting of her outside the house.'
Like many in the household, including Wixon herself, the victim had lost most of her teeth due to poor dental hygiene. When discovered by police, her Body Mass Index was 'very close' to being underweight, and she had scarring on her lips and face along with large calluses on her feet and ankles from constantly cleaning floors on her hands and knees.
Neighbors' Disturbing Observations
Neighbors provided disturbing accounts of what they witnessed. One described the woman as 'looking like something out of a concentration camp,' while another saw her looking 'skin and bone' with a shaved head and observed her being hit with a broom.
The court heard that from the late 1990s, Wixon had the victim's benefits paid into her own bank account. Detective Sergeant Alex Pockett from Gloucestershire Police revealed that from 2016 to 2021 alone, Wixon received over £33,000 in the victim's benefits, with the total amount from the late 1990s likely being 'a considerable sum of money.'
Defense Claims and Courtroom Drama
Wixon denied all charges and blamed her estranged son, Clint, for suggesting things to the woman. Her defense lawyer, Edward Hollingsworth, described the prosecution case as a 'tale of fantasy and lies' and suggested there was a 'child-like fantasy' to the woman's allegations.
He argued that Wixon's life was 'much more complicated and nuanced,' noting that her other children were not vaccinated, not attending school, and had rotting teeth and head lice. He claimed they all lived in equally squalid conditions.
As Wixon left the court, she showed no remorse. When asked what she had to say to her victim, she replied: 'Not a lot.' Asked if she was sorry, she said: 'No. I never done it.' When reporters questioned if she was a 'monster,' she responded: 'Say what you think. Why would I be sorry for something I claim I had never done?'
Recovery and Ongoing Trauma
Since her rescue, the victim is now living with a foster family, attending college, and has been on holidays abroad. However, she continues to suffer nightmares about her ordeal and has developed a constant compulsion to clean.
Detective Sergeant Pockett emphasized the severity of the case: 'She was treated really, really badly while she was in the address. I've not come across a case like this and it's clear that it's had a massive impact on the victim.'
Wixon was found guilty of false imprisonment, two charges of requiring a person to perform forced or compulsory labour, and four charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Her 13-year sentence reflects the gravity of crimes that kept a vulnerable woman in domestic servitude for a quarter of a century.
