Mum of 10 Kept Friend's Daughter as a Slave — How Did Everyone Miss It for 25 Years?

A mum of 10 is facing a prison sentence after a jury heard how a woman was held captive inside a family home for more than two decades, forced to raise children and carry out household labour while cut off from the outside world.

The case has prompted troubling questions about how a victim could vanish in plain sight for so long without intervention.

At Amanda Wixon, 56, of Tewkesbury was convicted at Gloucester Crown Court of forced labour, unlawful detention and assault. Jurors acquitted her of one assault charge but found her guilty of the remaining counts.

The judge told Wixon a custodial sentence was 'a certainty' as he granted conditional bail ahead of sentencing in March.

What the Court Heard

Prosecutors said the victim was taken into Wixon's home in 1997 while still in secondary school. She was the daughter of one of Wixon's friends and had learning difficulties.

What began as an informal arrangement turned into prolonged captivity, with the woman allegedly prevented from leaving the house for 25 years.

The jury heard that Wixon secured doors and windows, isolating the victim and compelling her to provide childcare for Wixon's ten children while also performing household cleaning.

Sam Jones, prosecuting, said the woman was 'kept in and prevented from leaving the address' and forced to work under threats of violence.

Life Behind Closed Doors

The conditions described in court were severe. The victim was forced to live in unsanitary surroundings and sleep in a damp, mouldy bedroom likened to a prison cell.

Prosecutors said Wixon shaved the woman's head, struck her with a broom and on one occasion forced washing-up liquid down her throat.

Police later found the woman, by then in her 40s, with visible bruising and no teeth. Body-worn footage played to the court showed her appearing timid and unwashed. She told officers she had not bathed for over a year and said she did not feel safe in the house.

How the Abuse Was Discovered

The case only came to light in March 2021 after one of Wixon's sons contacted police. When officers arrived at the property in the Priors Park area of Tewkesbury, the victim told them: 'I don't want to be here. I don't feel safe. Mandy hits me all the time. I don't like it. I haven't washed for years. She doesn't let me.'

According to reporting by The Mirror, officers found the family home overcrowded and squalid, with mould on the walls, plaster hanging loose and rubbish piled in the garden, and described the victim's living conditions as resembling a prison cell.

The Missing Safeguards

The court heard that social services had been involved with the family in the late 1990s but there were no records of any contact in the years that followed. The victim had no medical or dental records and had not seen a doctor for around 20 years.

Mr. Jones told the jury that by the end of the 1990s the woman had 'disappeared into a black hole', adding that the lack of any official records supported the prosecution's case that she was never allowed to leave the house.

Judge Ian Lawrie KC said the story had a 'Dickensian quality', noting the woman had come from a dysfunctional family background before becoming trapped in Wixon's home.

What Happens Next

Wixon showed no visible emotion as the verdicts were delivered. She remains on conditional bail while reports are prepared ahead of sentencing next month, when the court has indicated a jail term will follow.