A woman jailed and forced to work for a mother of 10 for more than a quarter of a century in “Dickensian” conditions has said nothing will give her back the lost years as her abuser was sentenced to 13 years.
The woman, held by Amanda Wixon in Tewkesbury, said: “For 25 years I lived in fear, control and abuse. I was treated as if my life, my freedom and my voice didn’t matter. The trauma and nightmares are something I still carry with me every day.”
In a statement issued when Wixon, 56, was sentenced at Gloucester Crown Court on Thursday morning, the woman said: “I now live with a wonderful family who show me kindness, patience and support. Their love is helping me slowly rebuild the life that was taken from me and begin to feel safe again. Nothing can give me back the 25 years I lost.”
There are increasing calls for social services to explain why the victim, now in her 40s, slipped through the net. Her foster carer said: “It’s a horrible situation that should never have happened. I think social services should be more alert and then maybe no one else will go through what she has gone through.”
Wixon punched the woman, poured detergent down her throat, poured bleach on her face and shaved her head against her will. He hit her with a broom handle, knocked out her teeth, and stuck her head in the toilet.
The woman lived on scraps, could not leave her home in Gloucestershire and was forced to wash secretly at night. His profit money, totaling £100,000, was paid into Wixon’s account.
In newly released voice notes found by police, the victim gave insight into her plight. In one, he said: “Last night I was in agony, I was crying… I had no one to talk to.” In another, he said: “I wish I could go out, walk Marley (the family dog) every day of the week, I wish I could do that but I can’t.”
Footage taken by police body cameras reveals that when officers found the woman, Wixon told them his victim was “pretty lonely.” When asked when the woman had last bathed, Wixon said, “I don’t really remember.”
Gloucester Crown Court heard that the woman, who has learning disabilities, was 16 when she moved into the Wixon home in the mid-1990s and was supposed to stay only for the weekend but remained there until she was discovered by police in 2021.
When officers found the woman after receiving a tip, she had scars on her lips and face and large calluses on her feet and ankles from constantly being on her knees cleaning floors.
The house was overcrowded and had mold on the walls, crumbling plaster and trash in the backyard. They described the woman’s room as if it were a prison cell.
Sam Jones, prosecuting, told jurors during Wixon’s trial earlier this year that the victim had disappeared from society. The court heard social services had been involved with the family in the late 1990s but there was no record of contact since then.
Jones said: “The fact is that social services did nothing.” He said there were no medical or dental records for the woman and that she had not seen a doctor in two decades.
Wixon was found guilty of false imprisonment, requiring a person to perform forced or compulsory labor, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
After the sentencing, a neighbor said she had already contacted social services expressing her concerns. The neighbor said she used to see the woman knocking on the window. She said: “I made phone calls to social services but nothing was ever done. Social services failed him hugely.”
Unseen, which helps victims of modern slavery, called for more training for professionals. Lauren Saunders, deputy director of frontline services at the charity, said: “Awareness of domestic servitude is really low because it happens in private homes. I think there is a real lack of training for professionals on how to identify signs of exploitation.”
The charity provided the Guardian with new figures suggesting a sharp rise in the number of victims of modern slavery. Its helpline received reports of more than 6,600 victims in 2025, a 37% increase from 2024.
Beki Hoyland, leader of the Green group at Gloucestershire County Council, said: “This is obviously a serious breach of safeguarding duty by the GCC, and I hope there is a serious review of the case where lessons can be learned. “It is disgusting that people can treat another human being as they have done in this case, I hope the victim now has all the support she needs to live a full life from here.”
After being rescued, the woman, who watched the sentencing via video conference, still felt compelled to repeatedly clean up. I didn’t know how to cross a street, what to do in a store, or what to wear when it rained.
In a victim impact statement, she said she still felt panicked and froze at sudden noises. She had nightmares about Wixon standing at the foot of her bed and she was afraid she would “grab me and take me away.”
Judge Lawrie said there was a “Dickensian quality” to the situation.
He suggested the victim may have suffered from a type of Stockholm syndrome, in which prisoners develop a bond with their captor. He noted that a neighbor had compared the woman’s appearance to that of a prison camp inmate.
The judge said Wixon was “ruthless” and had shown no remorse. In addition to the prison sentence, he imposed a restraining order to try to assure the victim that she would be safe when her abuser was released.
Gloucestershire County Council said it was unaware of the victim’s plight until the police investigation began. A spokesperson said: “We would like to praise the person at the center of this case for his bravery in asking for help. We first learned of his tragic situation in 2021, at the start of the police investigation. The victim has since been supported by our adult social care services.
“Now that this case has concluded, we will conduct a review to ensure that all agencies do everything possible to detect and prevent such abuse.”
