A Tewkesbury woman who held a vulnerable woman captive in her home for more than 20 years has been jailed for 13 years.
Amanda Wixon, aged 56, forced the victim to do manual labour, regularly assaulted her and deprived the victim of food and healthcare.
In a statement made by the victim, she said: “Being rescued by the police in 2021 saved me, but the damage did not stop that day and I am struggling to heal.”
The investigating officer, Detective Constable Emma Jackson from Gloucestershire Police, said: “Wixon’s cruel and inhumane treatment of an extremely vulnerable woman is hard to comprehend – as is her lack of remorse and denial of her crimes.
“Instead of giving the victim a loving home, she cut her off from the outside world and behind closed doors exploited her, neglected her and abused her. She also carried out horrendous acts that were intended to humiliate and degrade the victim.
“I commend the victim’s remarkable resilience and bravery – not only for reaching out for help, but also throughout this investigation. She has helped us to bring Wixon to justice and I hope she can find some peace knowing that her abuser is now behind bars for a long time.
“Although she has started a new chapter of her life, the enduring psychological impact of Wixon’s abuse and years of imprisonment is still evident. She is continuing to receive specialist support and we wish her well with her continued recovery.
“Cases like this remind us that exploitation, coercion or forced labour can happen in any community and we encourage anyone who has concerns for someone’s safety, to report it to us.”
Following a 13-day trial at Gloucester Crown Court, on 21 January, Wixon was found guilty of modern day slavery offences including two counts of requiring a person to perform forced or compulsory labour, one count of false imprisonment and three counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
She was found not guilty of a further count of assault.
During the trial, the court heard how the victim, who is now aged in her 40s and has learning difficulties, knew Wixon through family connections and had spent time with her and her family as a child.
Wixon assumed responsibility for the victim in 1996, and moved her into the family home.
For more than two decades Wixon kept the victim in squalid conditions; locking her in the house and depriving her of food, health and dental care.
Wixon also deprived her of money. Despite claiming benefits for the victim since 2000, which were paid into Wixon’s bank account, the victim was forced to live in poverty and wear hand-me-down clothes.
The jury heard how Wixon exploited the victim over the years; forcing her to complete work around the house under the threat of violence.
She was made to spend hours on her knees each day; sweeping the floors with a dustpan and brush and had to serve the family meals, do the washing up and sort the family’s clothing.
Wixon forbade the victim from washing herself, but she was made to bathe the children and run baths for Wixon.
She would allow the victim to have one meal a day, usually leftover food or scraps, and the victim would often hide sweet foods to eat in secret if she got hungry.
Those threats of violence were accompanied by actual violence with Wixon regularly beating the victim if she did not complete the jobs around the home.
Between January 1997 and March 2021, the victim described how Wixon strangled her, put her head down the toilet and poured cleaning fluids on her face and down her throat.
Wixon also stamped on the victim and hit her in the face with a broom handle, causing her to lose her teeth. She would also forcibly shave off the victim’s hair, despite the victim wanting it long.
On one occasion, when Wixon discovered the victim had been given a mobile phone, she took it from her and hit her around the face with it, giving her a black eye. She then smashed the phone with a hammer.
On 15 March 2021, after feeling ill, the victim used another secret mobile phone she had been given, to call someone she knew for help.
The police were called and officers attended Wixon’s address at around 10.40pm that evening.
On arrival, officers described how the victim appeared frightened, gaunt and malnourished and smelt strongly of body odour. Her hair was cropped close to her head and she had bruises on her arms.
In the victim’s bedroom they found a basic bed with filthy sheets, bare plaster walls with mould growing on them and no light bulb.
The victim was removed from the address and taken to hospital to be assessed, where doctors noted how she looked malnourished.
Doctors also noted calluses on her ankles, which were consistent with the victim’s account of spending hours on her knees sweeping the floor.
The victim was also taken to see a dentist for the first time, who noted that she would have been in severe pain at multiple points over the years due to infections and abscesses which were never treated.
Wixon was arrested and taken into custody. Following an investigation by Gloucestershire Police’s Criminal Investigation Department, the Crown Prosecution Service authorised charges.
In court today, excerpts from a statement written by the victim were heard.
She described how her life has changed since leaving Wixon’s house and the long-lasting impact of her abuse and imprisonment. She said: “When I got my own bedroom at [my carer’s] it was amazing – I had a clean, comfortable bed and a safe house. I have been able to do colouring, write poems and do things which I was never allowed to do, simple things such as watching television when I wanted to.
“Being rescued by the police in 2021 saved me, but the damage did not stop that day and I am struggling to heal.
“I keep getting flash backs as well as the nightmares. The flash backs are worse, I see Mandy in the bathroom, in the kitchen and she follows me up the stairs. Mandy tells me she is going to grab me, she will take me away and if I don’t listen to her she is going to do something bad to me. These make it feel as Mandy is really there and I don’t feel safe again as I feel she is there in [the] house. I have to remind myself that I am safe.”
Before handing Wixon her sentence, Judge Ian Lawrie KC said: “By calculation and persistence you submitted [the victim] to 20 years of domestic servitude accompanied by emotional and physical bullying. You effectively crushed her spirit and it suited you to do so.
“In light of the evidence I heard the benefit to you of that servitude was two fold and enduring – firstly [the victim] was effectively your slave.
“Secondly it was inferentially clear to me, that your actions of taking [the victim] into your care was predicated on taking opportunistic advantage of the fact [the victim], due to her mental health needs, qualified for assorted benefits when she moved into your care. I don’t take the view you planned that process but you took advantage when you realised it would give you ready access to money.
“Those benefits in the approximate sum of £100,000 were paid to you and not passed onto [the victim]. You were prompted and driven by a calculated financial imperative to ensure it was you who exclusively got the benefits. I have formed the view this sets a significant factual backdrop to the overall offending.”
Rachael Scott of the Crown Prosecution Service said: “The victim in this case was subjected to decades of torment, exploitation and control. She was denied her freedom, made to live in appalling physical and emotional conditions, and forced to act at the whim of the woman who imprisoned her.
“Over the years of captivity, which she was only able to track by the passing of each Christmas, she was left to live off the crumbs that Wixon provided, while suffering unimaginable abuse and experiencing no acts of kindness at all.
“Despite all of this, the progress she has made since finding freedom is remarkable and a true testament to her strength.
“Our thoughts remain with her, and I hope that today’s sentence brings her some comfort as she continues to rebuild her life.”
If you suspect someone to be a victim contact the 24/7 Modern Slavery Helpline on 0800 0121 700, or police on 101. Your information could save a life. In an emergency always call 999.
