A Tewkesbury mum-of-10 has been sent to prison for 13 years after holding a vulnerable teenager captive in her home for more than two decades.
“House Slave” Forced into Torture and Slavery
Amanda Wixon took in the victim when she was just 16 in 1996. From then until 2021, the woman was trapped inside Wixon’s house, forced to endure brutal domestic labour and horrific abuse. She was beaten, starved, and even had teeth knocked out with a broomstick handle. The court branded her a “house slave”.
Judge Ian Lawrie KC said Wixon’s “cruel and persistent” captivity “crushed her spirit” and caused “deep psychological damage”. The victim’s own impact statement revealed lifelong trauma.
Dickensian Nightmare and Fraud
Prosecutor Sam Jones described how, by the late 1990s, the victim had vanished from public view — “disappeared into a black hole”. She was never seen outside and only secretly washed at night.
On top of the abuse, Wixon fraudulently claimed over £100,000 in benefits in the victim’s name. The judge said Wixon lived in “permanent denial” about the damage she caused and called the crimes “extremely serious”.
Victim Fighting Back After Years of Hell
Now in her mid-40s, the victim needs 24-hour care due to the neglect and psychological abuse. But she’s fighting back — attending college and even going on holidays abroad.
Wixon must serve at least two-thirds of her 13-year sentence behind bars.
