Paralysed kidnap victim Angel Lynn says first word after fears she would never speak again

Medical staff told Angel's family that she is 'just so strong'

Angel Lynn, now 24, was snatched off the side of the road by her "controlling" ex, Chay Bowskill, and his friend, Rocco Sansome, both then 20, in September 2020.

She was then bundled into a van and fell head-first onto the road as it sped along the A6 towards Loughborough at 60mph.

Angel was left unable to walk, talk or feed herself and required 24-hour care, and her parents feared she's never speak again.

Appearing on Good Morning Britain, Angel's mum, Nikki Lynn, has revealed her daughter has now spoken her first word.

She said "mum."

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Nikki told the ITV show she "couldn't believe it" when she heard Angel's voice from her hospital bed.

She said: "I just walked in and she was groaning, so I said 'Angel, you know if you make those sort of sounds you must be able to say something'.

"And that's when it came out, I had no warning that she was going to speak and I thought she'd never speak again."

Nikki told GMB that the doctor and nurses also became emotional over the sign Angel was improving.

"They sat there and said 'wow she's just so strong'," she said. I

Four months ago, in May, Angel's parents revealed their daughter was now able to stand again, assisted by physiotherapists.

The family are now having their house adapted in the hope that Angel will be able to soon return home.

Bowskill was jailed for seven-and-a-half years for kidnap, coercive and controlling behaviour in a relationship and perverting the course of justice in January 2022, however the sentence was increased to 12 years after the Court of Appeal deemed the sentence "unduly lenient".

Bowskill was cleared of “unintentionally causing her grievous bodily harm” because police could not prove how Lynn ended up hurtling out of the speeding car. While the prosecution was unable to prove she had been thrown out, the defence claimed she purposefully jumped or – at the very least – fell accidentally, Leicester Crown Court heard.

Bowskill's co-accused, Sansome was also found guilty of Angel’s kidnap and jailed for 21 months. He was also disqualified from driving for 22-and-a-half months.

The court heard how Angel had initially been driving the van lawfully and had picked up her boyfriend and his friend. It is then understood that Angel exited the van after an argument with Bowskill.

CCTV footage shows Bowskill running after her, grabbing her in a bear hug and hoisting her back to the van, which was then driven away by his accomplice, Sansome.

Lynn fell onto the road via the van’s rear sliding door while Bowskill was in the passenger seat. He told the court she threw herself out – something that allegedly left him hysterical and distressed.

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