Woman kept in ‘Dickensian’ servitude for 25 years speaks out as abuser jailed | Crime
A mother of 10 who was imprisoned and forced to work for more than a quarter of a century in “Dickensian” conditions has said nothing will bring her back the years she lost as her abuser was given a 13-year prison sentence.
arrested woman Amanda Wixon The Tewkesbury resident 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 as Wixon, 56, was sentenced at Gloucester crown court on Thursday morning, the woman said: “I now live with a wonderful family who have shown me kindness, patience and support. Their love is helping me slowly rebuild the life that was taken from me and feel safe again. Nothing can bring back the 25 years I lost.”
Calls are growing for social services to explain why the victim, now in his 40s, escaped the network. His foster carer said: “This is a terrible situation that should never have happened. I think social services need to be more careful so maybe no one else will have to go through what he did.”
Wixon beat the woman, squirted dishwashing liquid down her throat, splashed bleach on her face and shaved her head against her will. He hit her with a broom handle, knocked out her teeth, and put her head in the toilet.
The woman was living on scraps, unable to leave her home in Gloucestershire and having to bathe secretly at night. A total of £100,000 in aid money was paid into Wixon’s account.
In newly released voice notes found by police, the victim gave insight into her predicament. In one she said: “Last night I was in pain, I was crying… I had no one to talk to.” Another said: “I wish I could go out and get Marley too [the family’s dog] “I want to go for a walk every day of the week, I wish I could but I can’t.”
Footage from police body-worn cameras reveals that when officers found the woman, Wixon told them the victim was “pretty reclusive.” When asked when the woman last took a bath, Wixon said: “I really don’t remember.”
Gloucester Crown Court heard the woman, who had learning disabilities, was 16 when she moved into Wixon’s home in the mid-1990s and was only supposed to stay 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 cleaning the floor on her hands and knees.
The house was overcrowded and had mold on the walls and crumbling plaster and trash in the backyard. They compared the woman’s room to a prison cell.
Sam Jones, for the prosecution, told the jury at Wixon’s trial earlier this year that the victim had disappeared from society. The court heard social services became involved with the family in the late 1990s but there was no record of any contact since then.
Jones said: “The fact remains that nothing is being done by social services.” He said he had 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 be subjected to forced or compulsory labor, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Following the conviction, a neighbor claimed she had previously contacted social services to raise her concerns. The neighbor said he saw the woman knocking on the window. She said: “I rang social services and nothing was done. Social services have massively let him down.”
UnseenThe organisation, which helps victims of modern slavery, called for more training for professionals. Lauren Saunders, the charity’s deputy director of frontline services, said: “Awareness of domestic servitude is really low because it happens in private homes. I think there’s a real lack of training for professionals on how to spot the signs of exploitation.”
The charity has provided the Guardian with new figures showing a huge rise in the number of victims of modern slavery. More than 6,600 victims were reported to the helpline in 2025; This represents a 37% increase compared to 2024.
Beki Hoyland, leader of the Green group at Gloucestershire county council, said: “This is a serious breach of the GCC’s duty to protect and I hope there will be a serious case review from which lessons can be learned. It is disgusting that people can behave in the same way they treated another human being in this case. I hope the victim now has all the support she needs to live a full life from here.”
The woman, who watched the punishment via video link after being rescued, still felt compelled to clean up repeatedly. He didn’t know how to cross the road, what to do in a store, what to wear when it rained.
In her victim impact statement, she said she still panicked and froze at sudden sounds. She had nightmares in which Wixon was standing at the foot of her bed and she was afraid he would “grab me and take me away.”
Judge Lawrie said the situation had a “Dickensian quality”.
He suggested the victim may have suffered from a form of Stockholm syndrome, which makes incarcerated people bond with their captors. He noted that a neighbor compared the woman’s appearance to that of a prison camp inmate.
The judge said Wixon was “heartless” and had not shown any remorse. Along with the prison sentence, he also imposed a restraining order to reassure the victim that she would be safe once her abuser was released.
Gloucestershire county council said it was unaware of the victim’s condition until the police investigation began. A spokesman said: “We would like to praise the person at the center of this case for her bravery in reaching out for help. We first became aware of her 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 been concluded, we will conduct a review to ensure all institutions are doing everything possible to detect and prevent such abuse.”
