Angel Lynn: Paralysed kidnap victim's family raise £150,000 to bring her home full time

The family of a woman from Leicestershire, who suffered life changing injuries after being kidnapped, say they want to bring her home from hospital full time because she's making progress.

Angel Lynn's mum says her daughter has recovered better than expected, and has been able to lift her right arm, feed animals at the zoo, and help her mum with the washing.

The 21-year-old was left paralysed and unable to eat, walk or talk by herself following the ordeal at the hands of her boyfriend, Chay Bowskill, two years ago.

Her mum, Nikki, says the family are a step closer to bringing Angel home after having extension plans to their home approved.

Plans for their house in Loughborough include a downstairs wet room, a medication and laundry room, and a hoist to be able to transport Angel through to the living room and bedroom.

A crowdfunding page set up to help the family with their extension plans has already raised £150,000.

They hope any leftover money will help pay for specialist medical equipment to support Angel's long-term rehabilitation.

Angel comes home every day to spend time with the family - but with the public's help, Nikki hopes she can come home for good.

Nikki said: "I pick her up every day and bring her home. She's doing so much better than she was and we're just so grateful for the help we've received so far. 

"We've taken her to Twin Lakes and Twycross Zoo - she fed the animals and she's even helped me peg the washing out.

"Angel can write a few things down now too - but not fully. We have a white board and you have to watch what she's doing as sometimes she can write letters over the top of each other. Other days she writes as clear as anything, I'm so proud of her.

"Yesterday she even used her right leg to push against the floor, trying to move her wheelchair along.

"She's due to have an operation to straighten her left foot and maybe her right as it's not been moved for a long time. Then she'll have two braces made to keep the position of the foot where it's supposed to be so eventually we can get her standing."

Angel is being treated at the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham, where she'll soon have communication equipment fitted to her wheelchair at the end of August.

It's hoped this will better enable her to communicate with loved ones, by tapping sentences with her right hand.

She is still being fed through a tube in her stomach, but is allowed to lick one ice lolly a week to try and improve her swallowing.

Nikki added: "We're trying it for three weeks, but we've already seen an improvement. She chooses the flavours she likes - but last time she wanted Vimto flavour, one of the kids had it so she got stuck with blackcurrant!".The family have set a Facebook page set up to request the help of local tradespeople, in a bid to bring Angel home full time.

They have already been overwhelmed with support on the 'Angel Lynn's Big Build' page, including an offer of free scaffolding.

Nikki said: "Angel's needs are far reaching and extremely long-term and the build has to be very specific.

"We are so grateful for all the help in the last two years and this is now the big push to get her home in a safe and suitable environment."We've got planning permission and now we need tradesman to come and help with the work. It will be a wrap-around extension, from the side of the house all the way around to the back and the first floor."There will be a wet room downstairs, a medication/laundry room and a hoist running through from her bathroom right around where we'll sit as a family, her bedroom and the kitchen. We also want to get units that can be lowered specially for her."Right now it depends on how quick we can get help with supplies and volunteers. We want to make sure she has the best".

What happened to Angel Lynn?

Angel was 19 when she was bundled into the back of a van she later fell out of onto the A6 Loughborough Road near Mountsorrel, Leicestershire, on 17 September 2020. 

Angel's "controlling" boyfriend, Chay Bowskill, and his friend, Rocco Sansome, both 20, were convicted by a jury of kidnapping her.

Bowskill, from Syston, was cleared of "intentionally causing her grievous bodily harm", after it became unclear precisely how she left the vehicle.

He was also convicted of controlling and coercive behaviour towards Angel during their year-long relationship and perverting the course of justice, by seeking to persuade his mother to withdraw her police statement.

CCTV footage shows Bowskill running after her, grabbing her in a bear hug and carrying her back to the transit van that was then driven away by Sansome - shortly before she ended up injured on the A6 near Mountsorrel at 10.45am.

Angel is unable to communicate, walk or feed herself and needs 24-hour care.

The kidnap happened after Angel, who was originally lawfully driving the van, had collected Bowskill and Sansome.

At some stage she was arguing with Bowskill and got out and walked off along the road, near Hilltop Garage, in Rothley.

Moments before she left the vehicle, Bowskill accepted telling her he "hated" her and never wanted to see her again.

He told the court they were driving her home to Loughborough when she fell onto the road, via the van's rear sliding side door, as he sat in the front passenger seat.

During the trial, he told the jury she jumped and caused her own injuries, which left him hysterical and distressed.