Vulnerable woman kept as slave in Tewkesbury for 20 years
A woman has been found guilty of keeping a woman with learning disabilities captive and using her as a slave for 25 years.
Mum-of-10 Mandy Wixon made the vulnerable woman clean out her squalid home in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, forcing her to live on scraps.
Dishwashing liquid was squirted down the victim’s throat, bleach was splashed on his face, and he had his head shaved multiple times against his will.
At Gloucester Crown Court, Judge Ian Lawrie said there was a “Dickensian quality” to the case as Wixon was found guilty of false imprisonment, which involved forced or compulsory labor and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
The BBC has only now been able to report details of the case due to reporting restrictions.
The court heard the woman, whom the BBC called K, was born into a dysfunctional family and was given to Wixon in 1996, when she was 16, with poor connections to her family.
K, now in his 40s, was found by police on March 15, 2021, after one of Wixon’s sons raised concerns about K’s welfare.
The court heard K was regularly beaten and also hit with a broom handle, knocking out his teeth.
The jury was told his food was restricted by Wixon, he was unable to leave the house and was forced to bathe secretly at night.
Officers stated that K’s bedroom appeared to be a “prison cell”, while other bedrooms were untidy and dirty.
He told police: “I don’t want to be here. I don’t feel safe. Mandy keeps hitting me. I don’t like it.”
Detective Sergeant Alex Pockett said police were “terrified” when they found K.
“When the police arrived the victim had his head down, it was obvious he was very scared.
“He had short hair, appeared extremely malnourished, wore tacky clothing,” Pockett added.
Prosecutor Sam Jones told the jury: “By the end of the 1990s the woman appeared to have disappeared into a black hole. Not a single meeting left any record or image of her outside the house.”
Since her rescue, the woman has been living with a foster family, attending university and holidaying abroad.
Wixon was released on conditional bail and will be sentenced on March 12.
