Gloucestershire mother of 10 sentenced to 13 years for holding woman as 'house slave' for two decades

Gloucestershire mother Amanda Wixon has been jailed for 13 years for holding a vulnerable woman captive for over 20 years. Read the details of the trial and rescue.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 13, 2026, 10:31 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from PEOPLE and the Gloucestershire Constabulary

A Decades-Long Nightmare in Tewkesbury

A 13-day trial at Gloucestershire Crown Court has concluded with the sentencing of Amanda Wixon, a woman responsible for what Judge Ian Lawrie KC described as the "crushing of a human spirit." Wixon was convicted on January 21 of multiple offenses, including forced or compulsory labor, false imprisonment, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. The court heard that for over 20 years—from 1997 to 2021—Wixon kept a woman in her mid-40s in a state of domestic servitude, treating her as a "house slave" for her and her ten children.

Patterns of Abuse and Deprivation

The details of the victim's life under Wixon’s control are harrowing. The victim, who first entered Wixon's care as a 16-year-old in 1996, was systematically cut off from the outside world. To neighbors, Wixon claimed the woman had moved to Scotland with a boyfriend. Behind closed doors, however, the victim was forced to perform manual labor under the threat of violence. She was frequently deprived of food, surviving on scraps, and was denied basic healthcare and hygiene. Physical abuse included having cleaning fluids poured down her throat and her hair forcibly shaved.

Financial Exploitation and Police Rescue

The exploitation extended into the financial realm, as Wixon reportedly claimed over £100,000 (approximately $130,000) in state benefits on behalf of the victim throughout the period of captivity. The victim’s ordeal only ended on March 15, 2021, when one of Wixon’s sons raised concerns about her welfare. Police arrived to find the woman in a "frightened, gaunt, and malnourished" state. Medical examinations later revealed untreated infections and physical calluses that indicated years of neglect and pain.