Angel Lynn documentary – Moment dad says ‘she’s always been my angel’ & shares touching family clips from before kidnap
THIS is the moment Angel Lynn’s dad said “she’s always been my angel” as touching family clips from before the kidnap are revealed in a new documentary.
Angel Lynn, now 22, was kidnapped by her ex-boyfriend and left seriously injured following the horror.
Just 19 at the time, Angel was grabbed from behind and bundled into a van by ex Chay Bowskill, 20, and his accomplice Rocco Sansome, 20.
She then fell from the moving van which had reached speeds of up to 60mph on a dual carriageway.
The young woman suffered catastrophic brain injuries with her parents Nikki, 48, and Patrick, 53, being told she wouldn’t survive following the attack in September 2020.
In new doc The Kidnap of Angel Lynn, which aired on Channel 4 tonight, dad Patrick said Angel had always been a “daddy’s girl” and told how things changed when she met Chay.
He said: “Everything changed when she met Chay.
“She would tell fibs she must have been ashamed of him, probably because he wasn’t a good boy.
“It broke my heart because me and Angel were always close.”
Patrick recalled the moment he found out they were expecting a girl and knew instantly she would be called Angel.
He added: “As soon as we knew it was a girl I said ‘we’re calling her Angel’, and she’s always been my angel.
“She was just daddy’s girl.
“Angel has always been fun and bubbly and adventurous.
“She was very ambitious but when she met Chay all ambitions went down the drain.
“I told Angel ‘he’s not the right one for you’.”
Bowskill was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison after being found guilty of kidnap, coercive and controlling behaviour, and perverting the course of justice.
Last May Court of Appeal judges increased his sentence to 12 years after they concluded his original term for the kidnap was not long enough.
During his trial at Leicester Crown Court, the prosecution failed to prove Angel was thrown or pushed out of the vehicle — driven by Bowskill’s friend Sansome.
Sansome was also found guilty of kidnap and is now out of prison after being sentenced to 21 months.
Bowskill claimed Angel jumped or fell out accidentally on to the road — something that mum-of-six Nikki refuses to accept.
She says: “I do think she was pushed because of the injuries she suffered, the force with which she hit the ground.”
Nikki says her daughter’s head “bounced like a football” and she rolled for nearly 50 metres.
Bowskill and Sansome then drove off, leaving Angel for dead on the A6 near Loughborough.
Devoted mum Nikki, from Loughborough, Leicestershire, said Angel has now been able to stand for the first time since the attack.
And in a breath-taking clip Angel was able to sign “I love you” to her mum.
Nikki exclusively told The Sun: “She is communicating more and more.
“I know it won’t change things but I’m hoping one day she will speak and tell me what happened.”
Angel, has not only defied medics by pulling through, she has gone on to exceed all expectations in her recovery.
Her fight for survival has astonished doctors at the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham, where she was given the last rites three times.
How you can get help
Women's Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
- Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – messageinfo@supportline.org.uk.
Women’s Aid provides a live chat service – available weekdays from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
