A woman held captive and forced into labor for more than a quarter of a century by Amanda Wixon in what was described as “Dickensian” conditions has stated that nothing can restore her lost years, as her abuser was sentenced to 13 years in prison. The victim, now in her 40s, was held in Tewkesbury and lived in a constant state of fear, control, and abuse, feeling that her life, freedom, and voice were irrelevant. The trauma and nightmares from this period persist daily.

The ordeal began when the woman, who has learning disabilities, was 16 years old. She moved into Wixon’s home in the mid-1990s for what was intended to be just a weekend stay but remained imprisoned there until police intervention in 2021. During these 25 years, she was subjected to extreme physical and emotional abuse: she was beaten, had washing-up liquid squirted down her throat, bleach splashed on her face, and her head shaved against her will. She lived off scraps, was forbidden from leaving the house in Gloucestershire, and was forced to wash secretly at night. Her benefit money was systematically diverted into Wixon’s account.

Upon her discovery by police in 2021 following a tip-off, officers found the woman with scarring on her lips and face, and large calluses on her feet and ankles, indicative of constant cleaning on her hands and knees. The house itself was overcrowded, with mould on the walls, crumbling plaster, and rubbish in the back garden. The victim’s room was starkly described as resembling a prison cell. Police bodycam footage revealed Wixon telling officers her victim was “quite reclusive” and struggling to recall when the woman last had a bath, showcasing the extent of the neglect.

The legal process was complex, taking five years to reach court. During Wixon’s trial, prosecutor Sam Jones highlighted that the victim had effectively disappeared from society, lacking medical or dental records for two decades. Amanda Wixon, 56, was ultimately found guilty of false imprisonment, requiring a person to perform forced or compulsory labour, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm, leading to her 13-year sentence at Gloucester crown court.

The case has sparked significant outrage and growing calls for social services to explain their failure to protect the victim. Despite social services involvement with the family in the late 1990s, there was no recorded contact thereafter. Neighbors claimed to have contacted social services with concerns about the woman, seeing her knocking on windows, but their reports were seemingly ignored, leading to accusations that social services