THE mum of Angel Lynn, who was left paralysed after being kidnapped, has told how her daughter defied the odds by standing for the first time.
Shocking CCTV footage had revealed how Angel Lynn was grabbed from behind and bundled into a van by her then-boyfriend Chay Bowskill, 20.
Moments later Angel fell headfirst from the van, which by then was travelling at 60mph, on to a dual carriageway and suffered catastrophic brain injuries.
Her parents Nikki, 48, and Patrick, 53, were told their daughter would not survive the attack in September 2020.
But Angel, now 22, has not only defied medics by pulling through, she has gone on to exceed all expectations in her recovery.
Devoted mum Nikki, from Lough- borough, Leicestershire, said that Angel has now been able to stand for the first time since the attack.
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Nikki exclusively told The Sun: “She is communicating more and more.
“I know it won’t change things but I’m hoping one day she will speak and tell me what happened.”
Angel’s then-boyfriend Chay Bowskill, 20, was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison after being found guilty of kidnap, coercive and controlling behaviour, and perverting the course of justice.
Last May Court of Appeal judges increased his sentence to 12 years after they concluded his original term for the kidnap was not long enough.
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During his trial at Leicester Crown Court, the prosecution failed to prove Angel was thrown or pushed out of the vehicle — driven by Bowskill’s friend Rocco Sansome, 20.
Bowskill claimed Angel jumped or fell out accidentally on to the road — something that mum-of-six Nikki refuses to accept.
She says: “I do think she was pushed because of the injuries she suffered, the force with which she hit the ground.”
Nikki says her daughter’s head “bounced like a football” and she rolled for nearly 50 metres.
Bowskill and Sansome — who was also found guilty of kidnap and is now out of prison after being sentenced to 21 months — then drove off, leaving Angel for dead on the A6 near Loughborough.
FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL
Angel’s fight for survival has astonished doctors at the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham, where she was given the last rites three times.
Nikki says: “They said, ‘There’s not much we can do for her’. I’d beg her to try. I’d say, ‘Don’t leave me’.”
Angel eventually came out of her coma and was later transferred to a rehabilitation unit, the name of which cannot be disclosed, for her safety.
Nikki says: “They really are doing wonders with Angel.”
Nikki added: “I can’t forgive Chay for what he’s done. He couldn’t acknowledge he was in the wrong. He’s not getting any forgiveness from me.
“Angel was a driver herself, and they were going at 60mph. I don’t think that my daughter would have jumped into the middle of a dual carriageway into oncoming traffic in the next lane.
“She would have known the consequences. She had never been suicidal. He tried to make out in court she was a bad person. One hundred per cent she wasn’t suicidal.
“So I’m just not having that at all. If she wanted out of that van, I think she would have waited a little bit further until the roundabout, where they would have actually slowed down.
“Angel knows that if she so much as broke down in her car, I would be in a total panic.
“She knows that if anything happens to her or one of our other kids, it would kill us if we were to lose one of them.
“So I’m just not having it that she jumped. What he says is nonsense.”
During their relationship Bowskill served time in prison for burglary but he would demand that Angel was at home every night at 6pm so he could call her on the landline.
After his release the relationship continued, but when he threw her against a wall she made the brave decision to leave him.
She was getting her life back on track when Bowskill kidnapped her in the village of Rothley, near Leicester, on September 17, 2020 following an argument.
CCTV shows the moment Bowskill grabs Angel in a bear hug and carries her across the road to the silver Transit van.
Nikki says Bowskill admitted in court that the last thing he said to Angel before she plunged from the van was: “I f***ing hate you, bitch.”
Following the incident, Angel’s cousin, Fahren Davis, decided to set up a Go FundMe page to help aid her recovery.
'STRONG GIRL'
Kind strangers and members of her community have donated just short of £200,000, which is being used to adapt the family home, as they have received no help from the council.
Nikki says: “It has been a difficult time for everyone financially, so for them to think of Angel is heartwarming.
“There are nice people out there.”
Angel is now progressing so well that she will soon be able to move from the unit back in with her family, once the building work is completed.
Her sister Reannon plans to move from Newcastle to nearby, so she can be her carer, along with her mum.
Nikki says: “When Angel went into the rehab unit I couldn’t see any future with her getting better.
“But she has improved so much it’s unbelievable. Angel is definitely in there.
“It’s about the person it happened to. She’s a really strong girl. She is determined.
“I will write a question on her iPad and she will write her answer. I asked her what car she wanted and she wrote ‘grey Audi’.
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“She can wave, give a thumbs up and a thumbs down, and give us high fives.”
How you can get help
Women’s Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
- Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – [email protected].
Women’s Aid provides a live chat service – available weekdays from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
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