Amanda Wixon, 56, forced the woman - now in her 40s - to shave her hair, regularly beat her if she didn't complete jobs around the home, and made her live off "scraps" of food.

It's also understood that while being held, Wixon, a mother of 10, stole more than £100,000 in benefits from the victim.

Wixon will serve two-thirds of her sentence.

Police officers who arrived at the house in Tewskesbury, Gloucestershire, following a tip-off from one of Wixon's sons in March 2021, described the victim's bedroom as looking like a "prison cell".

They found a basic bed with filthy sheets, bare plaster walls with mould growing on them and no light bulb.

The woman, who we can only identify as "K", has learning difficulties and knew Wixon when she was a child, through family connections.

In 1996, she was taken into Wixon's home at the age of 16.

Police say that Wixon kept her in squalid conditions for more than two decades, forced her to look after her children, locking her in the house and depriving her of food, health and dental care.

The jury heard she was beaten with a broom handle, knocking out her teeth, had washing-up liquid squirted down her throat and bleach splashed on her face.

Wixon did not allow "K" to wash herself, something she did in secret at night.

The court heard how Wixon had strangled the victim and pushed her head down the toilet.

Wixon had benefits for the victim paid into her bank account from the late 1990s, receiving more than £100,000 over the years.

After being removed from the address, doctors described "K" as "malnourished" - noting scarring around her mouth, thought to be due to contact with cleaning fluids.

Calluses were found on her ankles, consistent with the victim's account of spending hours on her knees sweeping the floor.

During sentencing, Judge Ian Lawrie KC said Wixon was in "permanent denial" about her offending.

"The gravity of your offending is so serious that I am imposing a significant period of custody," he said.

He added: "This offending was not isolated and was persistent over many years."

'Nothing can give back the years lost'

The victim now lives with a foster family, attends college and has been on holidays abroad.

In a statement read to the court, the victim said: "For 25 years, I 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 added: "Nothing can give me back the 25 years I lost."

K's new foster mother described how she "had to take her to the doctors and get lots of appointments and try and feed her and show her love... She wasn't used to things like that".

She described how when K first arrived to live with her, "she didn't want me to hug her", but that after weeks of support and hard work, she "turned around and started being loving".

Wixon was convicted in January at Gloucester Crown Court of modern-day slavery offences, including two counts of requiring a person to perform forced or compulsory labour, one count of false imprisonment and three counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

She was found not guilty of a further count of assault.

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Outside court, Gloucestershire Police detective chief inspector Dave Shore-Nye said: "There is no prison sentence that could reflect the pain and suffering (Wixon) has inflicted on the victim, or bring back the decades she stole from her."

Detective Superintendent Ian Fletcher, from Gloucestershire Constabulary, said this was one of the "worst cases" he had ever seen.

"The pure longevity of the harm that's been caused, nearly 25 years of suffering and pain. This is one of the most horrific crimes I've seen investigated by Gloucestershire."

They were not hurt.

John Healey said attacks by Iranian forces against targets across the Middle East "have the hallmarks" of how Russian troops operate in their war against Ukraine.

This included a change in how Iran uses its drones.

Tehran sold thousands of "Shahed" one-way attack drones to Russia in the early months of President Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The Russians, with Iranian help, then developed their own version of the unmanned aerial vehicle and now the lessons they have learnt from fighting in Ukraine appear to be helping the Iranians in their response to waves of US and Israeli strikes against Iran.

"No one will be surprised to believe that Putin's hidden hand is behind some of the Iranian tactics, potentially some of their capabilities as well," Mr Healey said, speaking to reporters during a trip to the UK's Permanent Joint Headquarters (PJHQ) at Northwood, the main base overseeing military operations overseas.

The defence secretary said this likely Russia link was "not least because the one world leader benefitting from the sky high oil prices at the moment is Putin".

He was referring to a spike in the price of oil after Iran used its chokehold over the Strait of Hormuz off its coastline to block one of the world's most vital shipping lanes.

The defence secretary said the Russian president "is clearly likely to welcome this war more than anyone else."

Lieutenant General Nick Perry, the chief of joint operations who oversees all UK military operations around the world, said there was "definitively" a link between Russia and Iran, which have a long-standing military relationship.

"We have definitely seen the Iranian tactics of the use of their drones learnt from Russians - flying them much lower so they are more effective," Lieutenant General Perry said, speaking to Mr Healey as they looked at a map of the Gulf in a room at the military headquarters.

"There is no doubt [the Iranian] tactics have changed," Lieutenant General Perry said.

He said drones were causing the most damage by the Iranian side across the region.

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This included an Iranian-linked drone - potentially fired from Lebanon or Iraq - that struck a Royal Air Force base in Cyprus on the second day of the war, landing near a hanger.

Mr Healey said the components of that device are being investigated to find out if they included Russian parts.

"We will update you on the findings from that," he said.

A second military commander said that British forces had shot down two drones fired towards a military base in Erbil, northern Iraq, overnight.

"A number did impact the camp," the officer told Mr Healey.

He said there had not been any British casualties.

However, the defence secretary said there had been reports of a number of US casualties, though none had been seriously injured.

Iran has long threatened to shut the narrow waterway through which 20% of the world's oil supplies passes, knowing that doing so would cause market havoc and send prices soaring. This is effectively what has now happened.

At least 16 ships have been hit by Iran since the conflict began, with Tehran releasing a video (below) of what it claims is the moment an oil tanker was attacked off the coast of Iraq - with devastating consequences.

Now, 3,000 ships and around 20,000 crew are trapped or affected in the region, the International Maritime Organisation says.

So what tools and weapons is Iran employing in its blockade of the crucial trade route - and what is it holding back for later?

Sea drones

The threat of sea drones has long been a feature of the war in Ukraine, and the tactic is now being used in the Persian Gulf.

Sea drones, sometimes called USVs (unmanned surface vehicles), are small, unmanned vessels that operate on or below the water's surface, making them difficult to defend against, particularly at night.

In January last year, footage released by the Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (below) purportedly shows such craft in an underground tunnel.

Naval drones laden with explosives have reportedly been used in at least two attacks on oil tankers in the region since the war began.

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On 1 March, a crude oil tanker was hit 44 miles off the coast of Oman, killing one crew member.

Days later, the Bahamas-flagged crude oil tanker Sonangol Namibe was hit near an Iraq's Khor al Zubair port.

Video posted online shows what resembles a naval drone slamming into the side of the ship, triggering an explosion that sent plumes of smoke into the sky.

Alicja Hagopian with Sky News' data and forensics team reports that Iran has attacked at least 16 vessels around the Strait of Hormuz and the wider Gulf.

Six ships are reported to have been struck since early Wednesday alone, the most intense period of naval strikes by Iran so far.

Iran has also suffered significant casualties at sea, with reports of 87 deaths after the US sunk an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka last week.

Meanwhile, Iranian UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), or flying drones, have also been seen. Dr Sidharth Kaushal from the RUSI thinktank told Sky News that they may pose a lower risk to the actual ships, but are a danger to their crews and have a psychological impact.

Is Iran deploying mines in the Strait of Hormuz?

The possibility of Iran deploying anti-ship mines to the Strait of Hormuz has come increasingly into the spotlight as the war has continued.

Made infamous through their use in huge minefields in the Second World War, these weapons would pose a grave threat to ships passing through contested waters.

Iran has some "contact mines", according to Dr Kaushal.

But a more sophisticated threat comes in the form of mines that can lie in wait for ships on the seabed. When a vessel passes above them it is detected by a sensor and then the mine releases a torpedo-like charge, Dr Kaushal says.

These mines could be laid by ships - though these would likely to be targeted by US-Israeli strikes - or by so-called "midget submarines".

The submarines are based on a model from North Korea and can be used to clandestinely lay mines.

It's unclear how many mines - if any - have been laid in the Strait of Hormuz.

Dr Kaushal cited reporting from American sources that suggests "a small number - dozens so far" had been deployed. Sources told the Reuters news agency that Iran had deployed about a dozen mines and that most of the locations were known.

Stocks of anti-ship missiles

"What the Iranians haven't used much thus far is their arsenal of anti-ship missiles," Dr Kaushal says.

These include the Iranian variant of the C802 Chinese ballistic missile or the home-produced Kheibar Shekan missile.

"They have kind of achieved their strategic aim for now," Dr Kaushal says, referring to the fact that the Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed.

This might change if there was an attempt to have commercial vessels pass through the waters escorted by warships.

"If there is an effort to force the Strait with naval forces I think some of the capabilities might be more relevant."

The US has refused near-daily requests from the ​shipping industry for military escorts through the Strait of Hormuz ​since the start of the war, saying ⁠the risk of attacks is too high for now, sources told Reuters.

Not just Iran carrying out GPS jamming?

The issue of GPS - or, more correctly called GNSS (global navigation satellite systems), jamming - is increasingly an issue for airplanes and ships worldwide.

And the Strait of Hormuz has been a hotspot for electronic interference since before the conflict broke out.

While it can be used to antagonise adversaries, it's often used as a defence measure against drones.

Dr Ramsey Faragher, director of the Royal Institute of Navigation, told Sky News that multiple countries may be using the technology in the Gulf.

"It's probably a combination of Iran possibly turning up and turning on more of its own interference sources," he said. "But also I suspect neighbouring countries have now turned on some of their own in order to try to defend against the drone strikes."

Disrupting navigation signals is one of the "cheapest and effective first lines of defence" against drone attacks, he says.

A look at a map of known GPS jamming in the region appears to show hotspots over Oman and the UAE, which are among the countries targeted by Iran since the conflict broke out.

On VesselFinder, which tracks ships worldwide based on their location transmissions, huge clusters of boats in oddly geometric shapes can be seen. This is likely to be a result of GPS interference and not indicative of their actual positions.

Dr Faragher added: "It's definitely one of the most active spots in the world right now for electronic interference and that's impacting, as we all know, not just maritime shipping and commercial shipping but it's impacting all of the aircraft that fly nearby that region as well."

The teenager was injured in the shooting in Toxteth at an address at Lime Grove, off Lodge Lane, at 12.55am on Thursday.

Investigators believe it was a "targeted attack by someone known to the victim", Merseyside Police said.

The young victim has been taken to hospital for assessment, police said.

Detective Inspector Ainsley McAlice said: "These are the critical early stages of our investigation, and we are looking to establish exactly what happened, where it happened, and to find the person responsible.

"We understand the concern that… any such incident will have in our communities, and initially believe that this was a targeted attack by someone known to the victim."

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DI McAlice urged anyone with information or footage of the shooting to come forward, adding there would be a visible police presence in the inner-city area of Liverpool on Thursday.

"If you know anything or live locally and saw the incident or anyone making off around Lodge Lane or towards Sefton Park, please come forward as a matter of urgency," DI McAlice said.

"Your CCTV, doorbell footage or other information could be vital evidence.

"Officers will remain in the area today, gathering evidence and speaking to people locally to provide reassurance, so contact us directly or anonymously via Crimestoppers."

It is not yet clear how much it will cost, but it's longstanding policy for taxpayers to contribute up to a maximum of £3,000 for any death in custody. It is understood the process will include no mourners and no ceremony.

However, this does not necessarily mean Huntley's next of kin will not attend.

The double murderer, 52, died in hospital on Saturday after allegedly being attacked at the high security jail HMP Frankland, in Durham.

Anthony Russell, 43, is accused of murdering Huntley and is due to appear at Newcastle Crown Court on Thursday.

Huntley, who was known as the Soham killer after murdering 10-year-old friends Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in 2002, had been in a critical condition in hospital.

Sky News understands the prison service will pay for a basic cremation, and will return Huntley's ashes to his mother as next of kin.

No date has yet been set, while the exact monetary contribution by the prison service has not been decided upon, but it's expected to fall below the maximum contribution of £3,000.

Previous prisoners who have had their costs paid for by the state, include Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe in 2020, and Raymond Morris in 2014.

The money is only permitted to be paid directly to a funeral director, and can only be used to cover "reasonable costs", which includes a 'simple' coffin, hearse, as well as cremation or burial fees. The money is not allowed for a headstone, flowers, or order of service sheets.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson previously said, "the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman remains one of the most shocking and devastating cases in our nation's history, and our thoughts are with their families".