A Loughborough woman who was left paralysed and brain-damaged after she was kidnapped by her then boyfriend and fell from a van travelling at 60mph has managed to stand for the first time, her mother has said.
Angel Lynn, now 22, was snatched off the street by Chay Bowskill in September 2020, following an argument.
She was later found lying seriously injured in the carriageway of the A6 near Loughborough.
Angel’s injuries left her with severe brain damage meaning that she’s unable to talk and walk and needs 24-hour care.
However, in recent months, she has already exceeded doctor’s expectations by standing up and taking her first steps.
The news was revealed in a new documentary, which aired last night on Channel 4 (May 9).
‘The Kidnap of Angel Lynn’ uses exclusive interviews, social media and immersive graphics, to tell the story of the abusive relationship that led to the life altering abduction of Angel Lynn.
Angel, met Chay through a mutual friend when she was 18 and living at home in Leicestershire. Before meeting Chay, she had ambitions to become a forensic scientist and was close with her family and friends. But, as viewers discover, very quickly into their relationship Chay became abusive towards Angel and started to isolate her from her family and friends.
At one point during the relationship, Chay was sent to prison and Angel continued to keep in touch with him and got a tattoo saying ‘Chay’ on her ankle. Angel no longer wore make-up but dressed in baggy clothes, which friends and family say was not like her at all.
In September 2020 Angel claimed that Chay had violently thrown her into a wall and made the decision to leave him. What happened next is unclear, but also that year, when Angel was 19, Chay subsequently bundled her into a van driven by his friend, Rocco Sansom, and Angel fell out of it while it was travelling at approximately 60mph on the A6. They drove off leaving her in the middle of the road.
Angel’s parents, Nikki and Patrick Lynn, believe that Chay pushed Angel from the van.
Chay Bowskill is serving a 12-year jail term for kidnap, coercive and controlling behaviour, and perverting the course of justice. Speaking in the documentary Nikki explains how it was easy to miss the signs that Chay was abusive.
She said: “It’s really difficult because I think what if I’d have known and what if Angel realised what he was like, we wouldn’t be in this position now. Looking back now you think ‘should have seen that coming’ but I didn’t. I wouldn’t want anyone to think you’ve got to be stupid to let someone control you because Angel was far from stupid. For this to have happened to Angel, it can happen to anybody.”
The documentary, which aired last night (Tuesday, May 9) is designed to “shed light on the horrors of abusive relationships,” said Samantha Anstiss, Chief Creative Officer of Wonderhood Studios, which produced the film.
“Horrifyingly one woman is killed every three days in the UK as a result of domestic abuse so sadly, Angel’s story will be familiar to many other women and their families across the UK. Through using Angel’s own text messages, social media posts and her conversations with friends and family in our film, Kidnapped: The Angel Lynn Story provides a window into how what starts off as a love story can go horribly wrong, as coercion and control turns abusive, and victims feel trapped and too scared to escape,” she added.
Will Rowson, Commissioning Editor said: “Angel and her family have been so brave, choosing to share their story in the hope it will help others. Chloe and the team have produced something powerful and affecting which I hope repays the trust they placed in us.”
