Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.
A woman has been convicted for imprisoning another woman with learning difficulties for a period of 25 years, during which time she was effectively held as a slave. Mandy Wixon, a mother of ten from Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, exploited the vulnerable woman by forcing her to clean a filthy, overcrowded home and survive on meager scraps of food. The victim was subjected to horrific treatment, including having washing-up liquid forced down her throat, bleach thrown on her face, and being repeatedly forced to have her head shaved.
At Gloucester Crown Court, Judge Ian Lawrie described the case’s circumstances as having a “Dickensian quality.” Wixon was found guilty on charges including false imprisonment, compelling forced labor, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. The distressing details of the case, which the BBC could only report now due to legal restrictions, came to light after concerns were raised by one of Wixon’s sons. Police discovered the victim, referred to as “K” by the BBC, in March 2021.
The court heard that K was given to Wixon around 1996, at about age 16, by a family with whom Wixon had a tenuous connection. At the time of her rescue, K was in her 40s and had spent more than two decades in captivity. She was regularly beaten, including being struck with a broom handle, which caused her to lose teeth. Restricted from leaving the house and only allowed to wash secretly at night, K’s living conditions were described by police as resembling a prison cell. Other rooms in the house were also dirty and cluttered. In police statements, K expressed her fear and suffering, stating, “I don’t want to be here. I don’t feel safe. Mandy hits me all the time. I don’t like it.”
Detective Sergeant Alex Pockett told reporters that when authorities arrived, K’s head was being held down and she was visibly terrified. During the trial, prosecutor Sam Jones noted that from the late 1990s, the victim had seemingly vanished without any recorded visits or sightings outside Wixon’s home. Since her release, K has been placed with a foster family, attends college, and has even traveled abroad on holiday. Wixon, who was granted conditional bail, awaits sentencing on 12 March. When questioned outside the courtroom, she told her victim, “Not a lot,” and denied feeling any remorse, claiming, “No. I never done it.” When reporters asked if she considered herself a “monster,” Wixon responded with defiance: “Say what you think.
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.