A woman has been found guilty of imprisoning another woman with a learning disability for 25 years and using her as a slave.
Mother-of-ten Mandy Wixon made the fragile woman clean her squalid, crowded home in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire and forced her to live on scraps.
Washing fluid would be sprayed down the victim’s throat, bleach would be splashed on her face and her head would be shaved multiple times against her will.
Gloucester Crown Court Judge Ian Lawrie said the case had a “Dickensian quality” as Wixon was found guilty of false imprisonment, requiring another person to perform forced or compulsory labour, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Due to reporting restrictions, the BBC is only now able to report details of the case.
The court heard the woman, known to the BBC as K, was born into a troubled family and was given to Wixon, who was not close to her family, in 1996 when she was around 16.
On March 15, 2021, one of Wixon’s sons expressed concerns about K’s health, and K, now in his 40s, was found by the police.
The court heard K was regularly beaten and hit with a broomstick, causing her teeth to be knocked out.
Her food was restricted by Wixon, she could not leave the house and was forced to secretly bathe at night.
Police said K’s bedroom looked like a “cell” and the other bedrooms were messy and dirty.
At times, at least 13 people lived in the house.
Like many in his family, K lost many of his teeth due to poor dental hygiene.
When she was discovered by police, she had scars on her lips and face from bleach splashes and large calluses on her feet and ankles from constantly cleaning the floors on her hands and knees.
K told police: “I don’t want to be here. I don’t feel safe. Mandy always hits me. I don’t like it.”
Victims held in ‘deplorable’ prison conditions [Gloucestershire Police]
Doctors found the victim was malnourished, while dentists noted she had been in pain for years due to untreated infections and abscesses.
Detective Constable Alex Puckett said: “When officers arrived the victim had her head down and it was clear she was very scared.”
Sam Jones, prosecuting, told the jury: “By the late 1990s the woman seemed to disappear into a black hole. There was no record of a single meeting and she was not seen outside the house.”
After being rescued, K now lives with a foster family, attends university, and has been holidaying abroad.
Wixon was granted conditional bail and will be sentenced on March 12.
As she left the courtroom, she was asked if she had anything to say to the victim and she replied: “Not much.”
Asked if she was sorry, she said: “No. I never did that.”
Asked by reporters if she was a “monster,” she paused to light a cigarette, to which she responded: “Say what you think.”
Victim now ‘thriving’
After being rescued, K now lives with a foster family, attends university, and has been holidaying abroad.
Detective Inspector Emma Jackson, of Gloucestershire Police, said she was in “good spirits” and was leading a healthy life.
Laura Burgess, senior prosecutor at the Crown Prosecution Service, added: “The progress she has made since emerging from this oppressive environment is testament to her strength.
“As she continues to rebuild her life, our thoughts are with her and I hope she can take some comfort in seeing justice served today.”
Follow BBC Gloucestershire Facebook, X and Instagram. Send us your story ideas by email or via WhatsApp phone 0800 313 4630.
