Tewkesbury mother jailed after keeping teenager as slave

Amanda Wixon, 56, was sentenced to 13 years in prison for enslaving a vulnerable woman in her home on the Priors Park area in Tewkesbury for more than 25 years.

Wixon was convicted at Gloucester Crown Court of false imprisonment, forced labour, and multiple counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

The victim, now in her mid-40s, described her abuser as "The Witch" and said the abuse began when she was just 16.

She said: "For 25 years, I lived in fear, control and abuse.

"I was treated as though my life, my freedom and my voice did not matter.

"Although my abuser has now been found guilty, the trauma and the nightmares are something I still carry with me every day."

The court heard details of sustained physical and psychological abuse.

The woman said she had washing-up liquid forced down her throat, bleach thrown in her face, and her head repeatedly shaved.

She was limited to eating scraps of food, unable to leave the house, and forced to wash in secret at night.

Wixon's home was described as overcrowded and filthy, with mouldy walls, falling plaster, and rubbish piling up in the garden.

Police only discovered the woman during a visit to the house in March 2021 after a concern was raised by one of Wixon's sons.

She was found living in a room officers described as resembling a "prison cell."

The court heard that Wixon had collected at least £100,000 of the victim’s state benefits over the years.

The woman is now living with a foster family, attending college, and has been on holidays abroad.

Edward Hollingsworth, defending, said Wixon maintained her innocence.

Judge Ian Lawrie KC told Wixon in court: "The gravity of your offending is so serious that I am imposing a significant period of custody.

"This offending was not isolated and was persistent over many years."

Wixon was given an indefinite restraining order banning her from contacting the victim.