A woman found guilty of holding another woman as a "house slave" for 25 years was repeatedly reported to social services by neighbours long before her arrest, a court has heard. Amanda Wixon, 56, from Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, was convicted at Gloucester Crown Court on Wednesday of false imprisonment, requiring a person to perform forced or compulsory labour, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
The victim, now in her 40s and with learning disabilities, was kept in squalid conditions, regularly had washing-up liquid squirted down her throat, and was forced to clean on her hands and knees. Police found her with facial scarring, calluses on her feet and ankles, and her bedroom was described as resembling a prison cell. She had also lost many of her teeth.
Neighbours claim they raised concerns about Wixon's household as early as the 2000s and again in 2018. Hayley Nuttall, 55, said her mother reported worries over two decades ago, and she herself urged the council to investigate in 2018. She told the court: "You could see the state of her, she was thin and her head was always shaved." Another neighbour, Kiram, said she called social services many times "but nothing was ever done" and described seeing the victim beaten "like a rag doll."
Another acquaintance questioned how social services had no interaction with the family, given the number of people living in the small house. The victim was only able to escape after police were called to the address in March 2021 by one of Wixon's sons. Since being rescued, she has been living with a foster family, attending college, and enjoying holidays abroad.
Wixon, who denied the charges, showed no remorse outside court, saying: "Why would I be sorry for something I claim I had never done?" She has been released on conditional bail and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 12.
