A woman in the UK has been found guilty of keeping someone as a slave in her house for over 20 years.
Amanda Wixon, who is 56 years old, was found guilty on Wednesday. The court said she made the victim work against their will, falsely imprisoned them, and attacked them several times.
The court heard that for over 20 years, the victim was forced to clean Wixon’s house and get her children ready for school. She was also beaten regularly.
According to reports, the victim was treated like a “house slave” for Wixon and her ten children.
Police said that the victim, who is now in her 40s and has learning difficulties, moved in with Wixon’s family in 1996. At that time, Wixon took responsibility for her.
The victim was only 16 years old when she moved in.
Police added that Wixon kept the victim in terrible conditions for over two decades. She locked her in the house and didn’t give her enough food or proper medical care. Wixon also took away her money.
Even though Wixon claimed benefits for the victim since 2000, the victim was forced to live in poverty and wear old clothes.
The court was told that the victim was forced to do housework under threat of violence and had to spend hours on her knees cleaning.
Wixon wouldn’t let the victim wash herself but made her bathe the children and prepare baths for Wixon. The victim was only allowed one meal a day, usually leftovers, and often hid food to eat in secret when she was hungry.
Police said that Wixon regularly beat the victim if she didn’t do the chores properly.
The police also said that the victim claimed Wixon strangled her, put her head in the toilet, and poured cleaning fluids on her face and down her throat between January 1997 and March 2021.
Wixon also stamped on the victim, hit her in the face with a broom, causing her to lose teeth, and forcibly shaved her hair off, even though she wanted it long.
On one occasion, Wixon found a cell phone that someone had given the victim. She took it and hit her in the face with it, giving her a black eye, and then smashed the phone with a hammer.
The police said that on March 15, 2021, the victim finally used another secret cell phone to call someone she knew for help.
The court was told that when the victim was found, she was malnourished, her hair had been forcibly cut, and all of her teeth had been removed.
Police officers went to Wixon’s house and found the victim, who was scared and looked very thin. She also smelled strongly of body odor.
The victim was taken to a dentist for the first time. Doctors found scars around her mouth, probably from contact with cleaning fluids, and calluses on her ankles, which matched her story of spending hours on her knees cleaning the floor.
The dentist said that the victim would have been in severe pain for many years due to untreated infections and abscesses.
A police officer said that Wixon kept a very vulnerable person captive in terrible conditions for over two decades. Instead of taking care of her, she took advantage of her and forced her to work as a servant while treating her cruelly.
The officer praised the victim for reaching out for help and said that she is now doing well.
A prosecutor said that Wixon subjected the victim to unimaginable cruelty and control for many years, denying her freedom and dignity.
Wixon has been released on bail and will be sentenced on March 12. She denies the charges.
