Neighbour of mum who stored lady a ‘slave’ for 25 years noticed sufferer beat ‘like rag doll’
Amanda Wixon is due to be sentenced in March after keeping a woman as a ‘slave’ for 25 years as one of her neighbours has spoken out of the horrors she witnessed
Moment Mandy Wixon confronted by police after keeping woman captive
A neighbour of Amanda Wixon who kept a female ‘slave’ for 25 years says she repeatedly called social services after watching the victim beat “like a ragdoll” but claims “nothing was ever done”.
Mum Kiram, 33, was a witness in the case against the 56-year-old and says she saw her victim regularly knocking on the windows from inside.
Mother-of-ten Wixon made the vulnerable woman clean her squalid and overcrowded home in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire.
The woman, who is now in her mid-40s, was 16 when she moved into the squalid home of Wixon, 56, in 1995 and remained there until 2021.
Gloucester Crown Court heard the woman was regularly beaten and also hit with a broom handle – knocking out her teeth.
Washing-up liquid wax squirted down the victim’s throat and bleach splashed on her face until she was found by police in 2021.
Neighbour Kiram gave a statement to police about the abuse, which Wixon has now admitted.
She said she called social services many times “but nothing was ever done”. Kiram recalls seeing the victim being beaten up, ripped up “like a rag doll” and constantly sat down on her legs in the house.
She said: “It was disgusting. I’m just so shocked it’s been in waiting for so long. I was a neighbour from the age of 13. I mentioned it to my mum because I could see if from my room. I made phone calls for social services, nothing was ever done.”
The last time social services were informed by the family was back in 2019.
Kiram added: “Social services failed her massively. She was diagnosed with global development delay. And obviously, a lot of other learning difficulties.
“You could tell that she was vulnerable. The hygiene was not there. It was like house of horrors. There were a few occasions where she’d come to the window. But that was years later.
“We didn’t think she was still there. Last time I probably properly seen her was when I was a kid. Then after that, I think, first time we’ve seen her was then around 2016. And then after that, it was 2020 or 2021 but we were in lockdown.
“And that’s when she was knocking on windows. It was just knocking and waving, but nothing was ever said. The victim is thriving. She is doing really well. She’s like a completely different person. She’s better in herself. She’s got the opportunity to learn things now. Nothing’s gonna stop her from progressing the way she has done.”
Another resident added: “It’s shocking this has happened right next to my house. Amanda just seemed like a normal person we would greet each other with ‘hello and goodbye’ and that’s it.”
At Gloucester Crown Court Wixon was found guilty of false imprisonment, requiring a person to perform forced or compulsory labour, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
She will be sentenced in March.
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