A woman with ten children forced another woman to work as a house slave for over 25 years while deceitfully misleading others about the victim’s whereabouts, according to a high-ranking detective. Amanda Wixon, 56, received a 13-year jail sentence for crimes including modern slavery, false imprisonment, and assault against the woman, who endured years of mistreatment after moving into Wixon’s unsanitary residence at 16. Detective Superintendent Ian Fletcher disclosed that neighbors had initially seen the victim outside the property but eventually, Wixon confined her inside, inflicting psychological trauma and physical harm that prevented her from leaving.
The victim, now in her mid-40s and known as “The Witch” to Wixon, suffered severe abuse such as beatings, teeth loss from broom handle strikes, forced ingestion of washing-up liquid, bleach splashing, and unwanted head shavings. Wixon controlled the victim’s food intake, restricted her movements, and mandated secretive nighttime baths in the squalid, overcrowded home in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, where the victim’s room was especially appalling, covered in mold. Convicted of false imprisonment, forced labor, and assault charges, Wixon was found not guilty of one assault count.
The woman entered Wixon’s house in 1995 and was rescued by authorities in 2021 following a tip-off. Det Supt Fletcher described the prolonged abuse as one of the most severe cases he had encountered in nearly three decades of policing, citing the victim’s malnourishment, physical injuries, and prolonged isolation. Wixon displayed no remorse, even post-conviction, for her heinous treatment of the victim, whom she viewed as a mere tool for personal gain, devoid of basic human rights.
Fletcher highlighted the filthy, disordered state of the house, particularly the victim’s room, emphasizing the victim’s deprivation of a normal life and enduring psychological harm. Despite the victim’s harrowing experiences, Wixon remained unrepentant, maintaining her dehumanizing attitude towards the victim, demonstrating a complete lack of empathy or acknowledgment of the victim’s suffering.
