‘She didn’t want me to hug her’: carer of enslaved woman describes her recovery

Foster carer dismayed at time it took to help woman, who is having therapy, attending college and growing her hair

When she finally arrived in a safe place after suffering a quarter of a century of mental and physical torment, she was frail and timid. She could not bear to be hugged, and craved hot showers, getting up at 3am to try to get clean.

The foster carer who took in the woman who had been held and forced to work in “Dickensian conditions” in a house in an English market town said the victim remained terrified of her abuser, Amanda Wixon, whom she called “the witch”. Wixon was jailed for 13 years on Tuesday.

The carer, who is remaining anonymous to protect the identity of the victim, said that when she was finally freed by police, the woman was very shy, anxious and unwell.

“She was very skinny. I had to take her to the doctors and get lots of appointments and try and feed her and show her love,” she said.

“She wasn’t used to things like that. It was really hard even giving her hugs. She didn’t want me to hug her. So I used to say to her: ‘You know, when you’re ready, I’ll be here for you’. And within the week, she turned around and started being loving.”

Gradually the victim talked about what had happened in the years since she was first held, at the age of 16, at Wixon’s house in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire. “Basically, she wouldn’t get any food. She would get scraps. She was doing a lot of housework. And when she asked for things, she would be refused. She just wasn’t being looked after at all. It was just horrible.

“[Wixon] would bash her, lock her in the room, black bags over the windows so she couldn’t get any light. Her abuser squeezed washing-up liquid down her throat and poured bleach [on her face]. She’s got scars on her mouth. She did all the housework, cleaning, ironing, everything. She was a proper slave.”

The carer said she wasn’t allowed to wash. “But she’s a very clean girl. When she came to me, sometimes at 3am the shower would be going.” She wanted to go to college but was not allowed. “Her education is not good. She can hardly read or write.”

Waiting for justice has been difficult. Police found the woman, now in her 40s, in March 2021 but it was a complex, unusual case and took five years to reach court.

The carer said the woman had been puzzled over why it took so long. “She said [Wixon] shouldn’t be allowed to be walking around and I had to explain it to her but it was really hard, she couldn’t understand. It’s not fair at all.

“She called [Wixon] the witch. She’s really scared of her. She’s petrified, actually. When the court case was going on, she went into a supermarket and bumped into her, and she was hysterical. I mean, she was really terrified, petrified.

“She was running around. It was horrible. She went absolutely mad.”

The carer feels there should be a wider inquiry into why the woman slipped through the net. “Nobody did anything. They just left her there to suffer. I personally think it’s appalling. There should be something done about it. I don’t know how they let that slip.”

She said that at one point the victim did manage to contact someone in authority, “but it was brushed off”.

“There needs to be a shake-up and I hope that nobody else goes through what she’s been through. I think they need to be more alert and to help other people. It’d be a massive shame if other people go through what she has been through. It’s been horrendous.

“I think if they’d followed through, then half of what was going on wouldn’t have gone on. They would have found her early enough to take her out. They need to do something about that.”

Recovery will be long.

“She’s constantly living in fear. She’s going through therapy. I think she’ll be OK in time. Her abuser needs to pay. If she doesn’t, I don’t think she’ll ever get closure from all of this. She told me that she’ll feel safer if she knows she’s put away.”

Since being rescued, the woman has attended college and has been on holidays abroad. She has grown her hair, as she always wanted to.

Her carer said: “She wants a big cruise. We’ve done the Mediterranean, so she wants to do a big one next time. We’ve actually been on quite a few holidays, I think five so far. She’s enjoying life now because I’m trying to show her a life that she didn’t have before.

“I’m trying to do anything and everything. I’m trying to fulfil the life she didn’t have when she was younger. I just hope everyone can come round and give her all the love that she needs. She’s such a beautiful person. She’s got a lot of love to give. She’s kind and warm. She’s lovely.”