Woman left paralysed after falling from a van during ex-boyfriend's kidnap bid says first word in three years

11 September 2023, 11:51

A 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 said her first word in three years.

Angel Lynn, now 22, was bundled into the back of a moving van in Rothley, Leicestershire, in September 2020 by her ex Chay Bowskill, then 20.

She suffered catastrophic brain injuries when she fell out of the vehicle head-first at 60mph on the A6 near Loughborough.

Bowskill is now serving a 12-year prison sentence for kidnapping, coercive and controlling behaviour, and perverting the course of justice.

During his relationship with Angel, the obsessive thug was known to be controlling and aggressive and would send her dozens of abusive texts messages calling her a "stupid c***" "b****", and a "divvy little s**g" when he didn't get his way.

Read More: ‘I could not be prouder’: Kidnapped Angel Lynn who was paralysed takes first step in years in remarkable recovery journey

Read More: Shocking scans show Angel Lynn's double skull fracture after falling out of van following kidnap by ex-boyfriend

Angel's mother Nikki Lynn told ITV's Good Morning Britain, that she feared her daughter would "never speak again" after the tragedy, before Angel suddenly said the word "mum" during a hospital visit.

"I just walked in and she was groaning," she said.

"So I said to her: 'Angel, you know if you're making those sort of noises you must be able to say something'.

"And that's when I just started making noises myself and she just came out with it.

"I had no warning or anything that she was going to speak. I never thought she would speak again."

It follows the news that in May, Angel managed to stand for the first time.

CCTV caught the moment Angel was forced into a van by Bowskill and his accomplice Rocco Sansome in Rothley, Leicestershire, in September 2020 after an argument.

She then fell out of the vehicle, which was driven by Sansome, as it travelled at 60mph, before she was found by horrified members of the public. 

Angel Lynn's family speak to LBC over her kidnapper's 'lenient sentence'

Bowskill was jailed for seven and a half years earlier this year while Sansome received 21 months.

Bowskill's sentence was later increased to 12 years, although Sansome's was not changed.