'She just wasn't looked after'

A life of isolation and beating

- Steven Morris

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 yesterday.

The carer, who is remaining anonymous to protect the identity of the victim, said 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."