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WARNING: CONTAINS REFERENCES TO DOMESTIC ABUSE AND VIOLENCE THAT SOME READERS MAY FIND DISTRESSING
A woman who was left paralysed after being kidnapped by her abusive ex-boyfriend is now able to stand as she defies doctors' expectations, her family have said.
Aged just 19 at the time, Angel Lynn was bundled into a van by Chay Bowskill after she tried to break off her relationship with him, before falling out onto the road while the vehicle was travelling at over 60mph.
She miraculously survived the 2020 ordeal, but suffered life-changing injuries.
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The now 22-year-old from Leicestershire was left unable to speak or walk after the attack, with doctors saying the extent of a fracture on her skull was so severe she could have easily died.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, her parents Paddy and Nikki Lynn gave an update on their daughter, saying she's doing 'really well'.
"She can write, she is taking small sips of drink and they [her physiotherapists] are standing her up now," mum Nikki said.
"They are really good. She gets a bit moody sometimes when she is being bent around but it's doing her the world of good. She's loosening up."
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Father Paddy added that Angel had 'an operation on her left foot to straighten that' which will mean she is able to take her first steps.
Angel’s story is being shared in the new Channel 4 documentary, The Kidnap of Angel Lynn, which aired last night (9 May).
Speaking during the hour-long film, Nikki opened up about seeing her daughter in the intensive care unit: "When they opened the curtain to let me in, I just fell on the floor.”
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Stuart Smith, Consultant Neurosurgeon at Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, said it was clear Angel had suffered ‘very severe injuries’ as soon as she came into hospital.
A CT scan showed she had a fracture on her skull that continued across her head, which Smith said will have been the result of ‘a really incredible degree of force’.
“Her injury was so devastating and so severe that there was a very real chance that Angel wouldn’t survive,” he explained.
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Elsewhere in the documentary, Angel's family members and friends shared horrifying details of Chay’s abusive and controlling nature, as well as the warning signs they noticed from Angel.
Friend Sheryl said she had seen ‘alarming’ messages from Chay, which included calling Angel a ‘s**g’ and a ‘tramp’, while cousin Fahren said she noticed subtle signs that something was not right.
“She knew that I wasn’t happy with the whole relationship,” she said.
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“I could tell that she’d changed. She’d never post on Instagram, wear nice clothes - which wasn’t like Angel, because she always used to want to look nice.”
Angel’s former partner Chay was tried for causing grievous bodily harm with intent for pushing her out of the van, but was acquitted.
However, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison after being convicted of kidnapping, engaging in coercive and controlling behaviour and perverting the course of justice.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, call Refuge’s National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247 or visit their website here. In an emergency always dial 999.
Topics: UK News, Channel 4, True Crime
Chloe Rowland