A court in England has convicted a 53-year-old woman of unlawfully detaining another woman with learning disabilities and forcing her to work like a slave for 25 years.
BBC reported on 21 Jan 2026 that the Gloucester Crown Court found Mandy Wickson, 56, a mother of ten, guilty of unlawfully detaining a woman with learning disabilities for 25 years and using her as forced labor.
The report stated that Wickson forced the vulnerable woman to clean her filthy, overcrowded home in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, and survive on scraps of food. The victim was also forced to swallow dishwashing liquid, had bleach thrown on her face, and was repeatedly forced to have her head shaved against her will.
Judge Ian Lowry said the case had a "Dickensian novel atmosphere," reflecting severe hardship and cruelty. Wickson was convicted of unlawful detention, forced labor or compulsory labor, and causing bodily harm.
BBC noted that media were only recently allowed to report details of the case due to previous reporting restrictions.
The court heard that the victim, identified as “K” for anonymity, was born into a troubled family and, around age 16 in 1996, was sent to Wickson, who had a distant connection to her family.
Now in her early 40s, K was rescued by police on 15 March 2021 after one of Wickson’s sons raised concerns about her welfare.
The court learned that K was regularly beaten, struck with a broomstick causing tooth loss, had her food rationed, was not allowed to leave the house, and was forced to bathe secretly at night.
Officials described K’s bedroom as prison-like, with the rest of the house also filthy and cluttered. At times, the house housed at least 13 people.
K lost many teeth due to poor oral hygiene, like others in the home. When police found her, she had scars on her lips and face from bleach splashes and large calluses on her feet and ankles from constantly kneeling to clean floors.
K told authorities, “I don’t want to be here. I feel unsafe. Mandy hits me all the time. I don’t like it.”
Doctors found the victim malnourished, while dentists reported she had suffered severe, untreated oral infections and abscesses for years.
Police stated, “When officers arrived, the victim kept her head down and was visibly extremely frightened.”
Prosecutor Sam Jones told the jury, “In the late 1990s, it seemed this woman vanished into a black hole. There were no records or sightings of her outside the home at all.”
Wickson was released on conditional bail and is scheduled for sentencing on 12 March. When asked if she had anything to say to the victim as she left court, she replied, “Not much to say.”
When asked if she was sorry, Wickson said, “No, I never did those things.” When reporters called her a “demon” as she paused to light a cigarette, she responded, “That’s up to you to think.”
Since being rescued, K now lives with a foster family, is attending college, and has had opportunities to travel abroad for holidays.
Gloucestershire police officer Emma Jackson said K is now “growing and living a bright life” with good physical health.
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Source:bbc