Amanda Wixon, 56, has been sentenced to 13 years after a jury convicted her of modern slavery offences for holding a vulnerable woman captive in her Gloucestershire home for more than 20 years. The victim, taken into Wixon's care as a teenager, was forced to perform manual labour, routinely assaulted, deprived of food and medical care, and forced to live in filth while Wixon claimed benefits on her behalf. The abuse ended in March 2021 after a family member raised concerns; the victim now lives with a foster family, is in college and receiving therapy.
Mother of Ten Japped to 13 Years for Holding Vulnerable Woman as 'House Slave' for Over 20 Years
Amanda WixonCredit: Ben Birchall/PA Images via Getty
A 56-year-old mother of ten, Amanda Wixon, has been sentenced to 13 years in prison after a jury convicted her of modern slavery offences for imprisoning and abusing a vulnerable woman in her Gloucestershire home for more than two decades.
Amanda Wixon's homeCredit: Press Association via AP Images
Court Verdict and Sentence
Following a 13-day trial at Gloucestershire Crown Court, Wixon was found guilty on Jan. 21 of two counts of forced or compulsory labour, one count of false imprisonment and three counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. On March 12, Judge Ian Lawrie KC imposed a 13-year custodial sentence, condemning Wixon's "calculated and persistent" treatment that "crushed" the victim's spirit.
Amanda WixonCredit: Gloucestershire Constabulary
Details of the Abuse
Prosecutors said the victim, now in her mid-40s and with learning difficulties, was taken into Wixon's care as a teenager in the mid-1990s and thereafter isolated, controlled and exploited. Between January 1997 and March 2021 the woman was forced to perform manual labour, routinely assaulted, deprived of adequate food, denied medical care and basic hygiene, and subjected to degrading acts including having cleaning fluid splashed on her and her hair shaved without consent. Police say Wixon also claimed more than £100,000 in benefits on the woman's behalf during the period she was held.
The victim's bedroom in Wixon's homeCredit: Gloucestershire Constabulary
"By calculation and persistence, you submitted [the victim] to 20 years of domestic servitude accompanied by emotional and physical bullying," Judge Ian Lawrie KC said at sentencing.
Discovery and Aftermath
The victim was discovered by police on March 15, 2021, after one of Wixon's sons raised concerns; the woman had secretly kept a phone and used it to call for help. Officers reported the victim as "frightened, gaunt and malnourished," and hospital staff documented long-term injuries and untreated infections. Arrest footage showed the cramped, filthy room where she had been forced to live.
Since her rescue the woman has been placed with a foster family, is attending college and receiving therapy. Her foster mother and others have called for an inquiry into how the abuse went undetected for roughly 25 years. Detectives and prosecutors praised the victim's courage and urged vigilance to protect those who may be hidden behind closed doors.
Detective Constable Emma Jackson: "Wixon's cruel and inhumane treatment of an extremely vulnerable woman is hard to comprehend. Instead of a loving home, she cut her off from the outside world and exploited, neglected and abused her."
If you suspect abuse or exploitation, contact local authorities or relevant helplines. In the U.S., the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline is 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-CHILD); calls are toll-free and confidential.
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