Maisie Lillywhite
At Gloucester Crown Court

The judge has dismissed the court for another break.

Before retiring, he reassured us the sentencing will be complete before 13:00 GMT.

Phil Mackie
At Gloucester Crown Court

Gloucester Crown Court is more than 200 years old and for that reason the way proceedings take place are unusual by modern standards.

In most newer courts, defendants appear in the dock behind a screen, and there’s a degree of separation from lawyers, police, court staff and the press.

Court One here is a grand, wood‑panelled, semi‑circular room, rather like a small amphitheatre. It looks much more like a television drama than the vast majority of cases because many TV shows use older courtrooms, no longer in use, in which to film.

Here, the defendant is brought upstairs by security guards from cells below, into the well of the court, rather than escorted in via a side door.

That means that police officers who gathered evidence against her, are sitting directly to Wixon’s right, and we are sitting on her left, barely a metre away.

Maisie Lillywhite
At Gloucester Crown Court

Hollingsworth told the court that 56-year-old Wixon had no previous convictions and should be considered as "somewhat vulnerable in her own right".

"She received limited education... she presents, in my submission, as someone with relatively low intellectuality," he said.

Hollingsworth added that the offences were "heartless, but not sophisticated".

Wixon's first husband and father of seven of her 10 children is an alcoholic, and her current husband has learning difficulties, Hollingsworth added.

A number of her children also have their own vulnerabilities.

"Your honour will also recall the messy neglected appearance of her home and of her own appearance," Hollingsworth added, asking the judge to note her "lack of any teeth".

"I would invite your honour to treat her as unsophisticated and somewhat vulnerable in her own right," he said.

Maisie Lillywhite
At Gloucester Crown Court

Defending Wixon, Edward Hollingsworth said there was no question of the harm K experienced at the hands of Wixon.

However, Hollingsworth said the sentencing guidelines were "problematic" as at the top end of the guidelines lies organised, international trafficking rings.

"The force of compulsory labour was one aspect of a much wider experience of neglect and abuse," he said.

"Not all of it, in my submission, was criminal; there is no offence of the neglect of an adult."

Lee Madan
At Gloucester Crown Court

Wixon is now back in the dock, wearing a denim jacket and an oversized scarf.

During this morning's hearing, she has been sat with her head tilted, looking emotionless and often with her arms folded.

When the judge called for a short break, he revoked her bail so she was led into custody during the recess.

Maisie Lillywhite
At Gloucester Crown Court

The court has been dismissed by the judge for a short break.

When proceedings resume, we will be hearing from the defence.

Maisie Lillywhite
At Gloucester Crown Court

During a victim statement read out in court, K said for 25 years she 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," she said

K added the "love" shown to her now is helping her "slowly rebuild the life that was taken" from her, and is starting to feel safe again.

“Nothing can give me back the 25 years I lost," K added.

“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.”

Phil Mackie
At Gloucester Crown Court

During her trial, we were told that for the length of K’s captivity, Wixon claimed benefits on her behalf.

Jones told the court that while an exact figure was impossible to ascertain, the amount she’d been paid over 25 years was likely to be more than £100,000.

Maisie Lillywhite
At Gloucester Crown Court

K said although she now lives with a "wonderful family", she "lost 25 years" at Wixon's hands.

In her victim impact statement, K said she often feels "panicked and frozen" and loud noises scare her.

"When I was rescued by the police in 2021, they saved me," K said, but she added she carries "anxiety every day".

"When I saw Mandy, I was shaking and upset - I had to stand up for myself," the victim said of the trial.

Phil Mackie
At Gloucester Crown Court

Despite the physical injuries, the psychological effect of Wixon's actions have had the worst impact on K, Jones continued.

Nightmares have continued for K, years after she was removed from Wixon's home in Tewkesbury.

In a statement from the victim’s foster mother, which was read out in court, we learned more about her rehabilitation after being rescued.

At first, we were told she struggled with basic day-to-day living. She didn’t know how to go outside, how to cross a road, didn’t even know how to dress appropriately for bad weather.

She was deprived of food and drink for so long that she struggled to understand that she didn’t need to ask permission from the foster mother who looks after her.

"She felt the need to clean all the time, she found it impossible to relax - this appeared to be engraved in her," Jones said, reading from a statement from K's foster mother's statement.

As the court was being told this, the victim reached for a box of tissues and wiped tears from her eyes, and was comforted by one of the appropriate adults with her.

Her foster mum says she thinks after the case is over, K will thrive

Maisie Lillywhite
At Gloucester Crown Court

Sam Jones, prosecuting, said Wixon's abuse has had a "significant" and "life-altering" impact on K's daily life.

Reading a psychological report, he added: "That which has happened to K still controls much of her life and she will live with the effects of her trauma for the rest of her life."

He also listed some of Wixon's abuse, including pouring cleaning fluid into K's mouth, pushing K downstairs, and forcing her head down a toilet bowl.

Phil Mackie
At Gloucester Crown Court

The victim, who we’re not naming because of her vulnerabilities, is watching proceedings via a video link from the court next door.

She appears healthy and is smartly dressed.

When police rescued her from her virtual prison in Tewkesbury she was malnourished and bruised.

Maisie Lillywhite
At Gloucester Crown Court

The sentencing of Wixon began just after 10:00 GMT.

There was a short delay as Judge Ian Lawrie KC said that, for "entirely practical reasons of safety", the public were put in the empty courtroom next door and are watching via video link.

Jasmine Ketibuah-Foley
Digital Journalist

Since being rescued, K is now living with a foster family, attending college and has been on holiday.

Det Con Emma Jackson, from Gloucestershire Police, said K was "flourishing" and living a healthy life.

Laura Burgess, a senior prosecutor with the Crown Prosecution Service, added: "The progress she has made since being removed from this oppressive environment is a testament to her strength.

"Our thoughts remain with her as she continues to rebuild her life, and I hope she can find some comfort in seeing justice delivered."

Jasmine Ketibuah-Foley
Digital Journalist

When discovered by police, K had large calluses on her feet and ankles from being constantly on her hands and knees cleaning floors.

Doctors ruled she was malnourished, with a dentist also noting she would have been in agony for years due to untreated infections and abscesses.

Chris Kelly
Digital Editor, BBC West

When police first arrested Wixon, they could be heard commenting on the "absolutely filthy bedding" in K's room.

The video shows the arrest itself and police searching the house, and then finding a list of phone numbers hidden under a pillow.

Jasmine Ketibuah-Foley
Digital Journalist

The court was previously told that K moved in with Wixon in 1996.

She was 16 years old at the time and grew up alongside Wixon's 10 children.

After one of Wixon's sons moved out in 2021, he reported his mother's crimes to police, saying he was concerned for K's welfare.

Maisie Lillywhite

Mandy Wixon showed no emotion as she arrived at Gloucester Crown Court.

The defendant was carrying a large bag and didn't speak when asked questions by reporters.

Jasmine Ketibuah-Foley
Digital Journalist

Image source, Gloucestershire Police

Wixon forced the victim, who the BBC is calling K to protect her identity, to live off scraps, squirted washing-up liquid down her throat, splashed bleach on her face and shaved her head against her will.

The court heard that K was born into a troubled family and, when she was about 16 in 1996, was given to Wixon, who had a loose connection to her family.

The court heard K, who has learning disabilities, was regularly beaten and also hit with a broom handle, knocking out her teeth.

Her food was limited by Wixon and she was kept in squalid conditions, the court was told.

Officers described K's bedroom as looking like a "prison cell", with other bedrooms also untidy and dirty.

Jasmine Ketibuah-Foley
Digital Journalist

We will be covering the sentencing of Amanda 'Mandy' Wixon at Gloucester Crown Court.

In January, the 56-year-old from Tewkesbury was found guilty of multiple modern day slavery offences, including requiring a person to perform forced or compulsory labour and false imprisonment.

The court was told a vulnerable woman with learning disabilities had been enslaved by Wixon for 25 years. The victim, now in her 40s, was not allowed outside for decades and beaten by Wixon.

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