Drug driver who caused death of brother and nephew jailed for more than 13 years

Amanda Wixon, 56, – who is referred to as The Witch by her victim – subjected the woman to years of abuse

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This is the moment a mother-of-ten was arrested after keeping a teenage girl captive as a slave for 25 years at her "squalid" home in Gloucestershire.

Amanda Wixon, 56, subjected the woman to years of abuse at her home in Tewkesbury.

The victim, who is now in her mid-40s, was 16 when she moved into Wixon’s home in 1995 and remained there until 2021.

Gloucester Crown Court heard the woman – who now refers to Wixon as The Witch – was regularly beaten and also hit with a broom handle, knocking out her teeth.

Washing-up liquid would be squirted down her throat, bleach splashed on her face and she had her head repeatedly shaved against her will.

Her food was limited by Wixon, and she lived off scraps, could not leave the house and was forced to secretly wash at night.

The family home in the Priors Park area was overcrowded, in a squalid condition, with mould on the walls, plaster hanging off and rubbish in the back garden.

Wixon was found guilty by a jury of false imprisonment, two charges of requiring a person to perform forced or compulsory labour, and four charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

She was acquitted of one of the assault charges.

During the sentencing hearing, Sam Jones, prosecuting, read to the court a note the victim had written.

She said: “For 25 years, I lived in fear, control and abuse. I was treated as though my life, my freedom and my voice did not matter.

“Although my abuser has now been found guilty, the trauma and the nightmares are something I still carry with me every day.

“I am now living with a wonderful family who show me kindness, patience and support.

“Their love is helping me slowly rebuild the life that was taken from me and begin to feel safe again.“Nothing can give me back the 25 years I lost.

“But I hope the court recognises the deep and lasting harm this abuse has caused and delivers a sentence that truly reflects the seriousness of these crimes.”