A woman in England has been sentenced to 13 years in prison after a court heard she kept a vulnerable woman as a “house slave” for more than two decades, forcing her to perform labor while subjecting her to relentless abuse inside a filthy home.

Amanda Wixon, 56, was sentenced Thursday following a 13-day trial at Gloucestershire Crown Court, where jurors heard how she exploited a woman with learning difficulties for over 20 years at her property in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire.

The victim, now in her mid-40s, had been forced to live in degrading conditions since she was a teenager.

Wixon was convicted on two counts of forced or compulsory labour, one count of false imprisonment and three counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Prosecutors said the abuse lasted from January 1997 until March 2021.

During sentencing, Judge Ian Lawrie KC described the crimes as calculated cruelty that robbed the victim of her freedom and dignity.

“By calculation and persistence, you submitted [the victim] to 20 years of domestic servitude accompanied by emotional and physical bullying,” the judge said in court. “You effectively crushed her spirit and it suited you to do so.”

According to prosecutors, the victim had moved into Wixon’s home as a teenager after spending time with the family through relatives. Instead of receiving care and support, she became trapped in a cycle of exploitation and violence.

The court heard the woman was forced to carry out household chores and manual labor for Wixon and her 10 children while living in squalid conditions.

She survived largely on scraps of food and was routinely threatened with violence if she did not complete the tasks assigned to her.

The abuse was not only psychological but physical. Over the years, cleaning chemicals were allegedly splashed onto her face and even forced down her throat. Her hair was shaved against her will, and she was prevented from washing herself.

Prosecutors said the victim was effectively cut off from the outside world and subjected to constant humiliation.

Rachael Scott of the Crown Prosecution Service described the situation as “decades of torment, exploitation and control.”

The abuse only came to light in March 2021 after one of Wixon’s sons raised concerns about the woman’s welfare. Unknown to Wixon, the victim had managed to keep a secret phone, which she used to call for help.

When officers arrived at the house, they found the woman in a shocking state.

Police said she appeared frightened, gaunt and malnourished and smelled strongly of body odor. Doctors later discovered she had untreated infections that had likely caused her severe pain for years.

Investigators also revealed that Wixon had fraudulently claimed more than £100,000 (about $130,000) in government benefits in the victim’s name during the years she kept her captive.

Detective Constable Emma Jackson said the cruelty of the case was difficult to comprehend.

“Instead of giving the victim a loving home, she cut her off from the outside world and exploited, neglected and abused her,” Jackson said.

Today, the victim is rebuilding her life.

After her rescue, she moved in with a foster family, began attending college and is receiving therapy.

But the psychological scars remain.

In a statement read in court, the woman described suffering flashbacks and nightmares about her former captor.

“I see Mandy in the bathroom, in the kitchen, and she follows me up the stairs,” she said. “I have to remind myself that I am safe.”