Angel Lynn: Woman paralysed after falling from van during kidnap stands for the first time
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 managed to stand for the first time, her mother has said.
Angel Lynn, now 22, was snatched off the street by Chay Bowskill in Rothley, Leicestershire, in September 2020 after an argument.
She was later found lying seriously injured in the carriageway of the A6 near Loughborough, Leicestershire Police said.
Ms Lynn has required 24-hour care
Her injuries mean she is now unable to walk, talk or feed herself.
But her mother Nikki Lynn has told The Sun that her daughter is communicating more and has stood for the first time since the attack.
“I know it won’t change things but I’m hoping one day she will speak and tell me what happened,” she said.
Bowskill, then aged 20, of Syston, Leicestershire, was jailed for seven-and-a-half years in January 2022 after being convicted of kidnap, coercive and controlling behaviour, and perverting the course of justice, following a trial at Leicester Crown Court.
Chay Bowskill (left) and his friend, Rocco Sansome. Pic Leicestershire Police/Facebook
Last March, Bowskill had his sentence increased to 12 years and the judge has ruled he must serve at least two-thirds of that sentence.
Bowskill’s accomplice, Rocco Sansome, then also aged 20, of Birstall, Leicestershire, was also initially found guilty of kidnap and sentenced to 21 months in prison. His sentence was not changed by Court of Appeal judges.
During the original trial, the prosecutor tried to prove Ms Lynn had been pushed from the van but the jury didn’t convict Bowskill of causing grievous bodily harm.
Nikki told The Sun: “I do think she was pushed because of the injuries she suffered, the force with which she hit the ground.”
She said her daughter’s head “bounced like a football” and she rolled for nearly 50m.
She is unlikely to ever recover from her injuries
Bowskill claimed Ms Lynn jumped or fell out onto the road but this is not something her family will accept.
Nikki says: “I can’t forgive Chay for what he’s done. He couldn’t acknowledge he was in the wrong. He’s not getting any forgiveness from me.
“Angel was a driver herself, and they were going at 60mph. I don’t think that my daughter would have jumped into the middle of a dual carriageway into oncoming traffic in the next lane.
“She would have known the consequences. She had never been suicidal. He tried to make out in court she was a bad person. One hundred per cent she wasn’t suicidal.
“So I’m just not having that at all. If she wanted out of that van, I think she would have waited a little bit further until the roundabout, where they would have actually slowed down.”
Ms Lynn is receiving 24-hour specialist care in a rehabilitation centre, but her family are trying to raise money to adapt their house so that she can return home.
They have been told that it’s unlikely she will ever recover from her injuries.
Nikki and Patrick Lynn talk about their daughter’s ordeal in a Channel 4 documentary – The Kidnap of Angel Lynn, which airs tonight at 9pm.
MPs have voted to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales.
The amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill, abolishing the prosecution of women for terminating their pregnancy at any stage, passed by 379 votes to 137.
It represents the biggest shake-up in reproductive rights for almost 60 years.
Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi, who tabled the so-called “New Clause One” (NC1), said it would ensure women do not face investigation, arrest, prosecution or imprisonment in relation to any pregnancies.
She said the current “Victorian” laws had been used against vulnerable women, citing cases such as Nicola Packer, who was prosecuted on suspicion of having an illegal abortion. She was found not guilty in May.
“Nicola’s story is deplorable, but there are many others,” Ms Antoniazzi said.
Abortion in England and Wales is currently a criminal offence but is legal with an authorised provider for up to 24 weeks after conception. The procedure is allowed after this time in very limited circumstances.
It is also legal to take prescribed related medication at home if a woman is less than 10 weeks pregnant.
Ms Antoniazzi said NC1 was “a narrow, targeted measure” that would not change how abortion services were provided or the rules under the 1967 Abortion Act.
Pro-choice campaigners demonstrating for decriminalising abortion in the UK
She said: “The 24 [week] limit remains. Abortions still require the approval of signatures of two doctors, and women would still have to meet the grounds laid out in the Act.”
The MP said that meant healthcare professionals “acting outside the law and abusive partners using violence or poisoning to end a pregnancy would still be criminalised, as they are now.”
She added: “This piece of legislation will only take women out of the criminal justice system because they are vulnerable and they need our help.
“As I have said before, and I will say it again, just what public interest is this serving? This is not justice, it is cruelty and it has got to end.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Should abortion be decriminalised?
The change will not come into effect immediately as the Crime and Policing Bill is still making its way through Parliament.
A separate amendment, put forward by Labour MP Stella Creasy, went further with a measure to “lock in” the right of a person to have an abortion while protecting those who help them.
However, her amendment was not voted on because Ms Antoniazzi’s passed, as expected.
Conservative MP Sir Edward Leigh, speaking against both amendments, described them as “not pro-woman” and argued they “would introduce sex-selective abortion”.
How did MPs vote?
MPs were given a free vote on the amendment, as is typically the case with so-called matters of conscience.
A breakdown of the vote showed it was passed overwhelmingly by Labour and Lib Dem MPs.
Read more:
Sky poll reveals public’s view on decriminalisation
Just eight Conservative MPs voted in favour, while all Reform UK MPs opposed the amendment, with the exception of the party’s leader Nigel Farage, who abstained.
Sir Keir Starmer was not present for the vote as he is currently in Canada for the G7 summit, but said earlier that his “longstanding in-principle position is that women have the right to a safe and legal abortion”.
The issue of women investigated by police over suspected illegal abortions has been in the spotlight due to several recent high-profile cases.
Ms Packer was cleared by a jury last month after taking prescribed abortion medicine at home when she was around 26 weeks pregnant, beyond the legal limit of 10 weeks.
In the Commons, Ms Antoniazzi cited another case of a young mother who was jailed for two years after she was forced to take illegal abortion medication by her abusive partner. He was never investigated.
The UK-US trade deal has been signed and is “done”, US President Donald Trump has said as he met Sir Keir Starmer at the G7 summit.
The US president told reporters in Canada: “We signed it, and it’s done. It’s a fair deal for both. It’ll produce a lot of jobs, a lot of income.”
Sir Keir said the document “implements” the deal to cut tariffs on cars and aerospace, describing it as a “really important agreement”.
“So this is a very good day for both of our countries – a real sign of strength,” the prime minister added.
Mr Trump added that the UK was “very well protected” against any future tariffs, saying: “You know why? Because I like them”.
However, he did not say whether levies on British steel exports to the US would be set to 0%, saying “we’re gonna let you have that information in a little while”.
Mr Trump also praised Sir Keir as a “great” prime minister, adding: “We’ve been talking about this deal for six years, and he’s done what they haven’t been able to do.”
He added: “We’re very longtime partners and allies and friends and we’ve become friends in a short period of time.
“He’s slightly more liberal than me to put it mildly… but we get along.”
Sir Keir added that “we make it work”.
As the pair exited a mountain lodge in the Canadian Rockies where the summit is being held, Mr Trump held up a physical copy of the trade agreement to show reporters.
Several leaves of paper fell from the binding, and Sir Keir quickly stooped to pick them up, saying: “A very important document.”
Sir Keir Starmer picks up paper from the UK-US trade deal after Donald Trump dropped it at the G7 summit. Pic: Reuters
The US president also appeared to mistakenly refer to a “trade agreement with the European Union” at one point as he stood alongside the British prime minister.
Mr Trump announced his “Liberation Day” tariffs on countries in April. At the time, he announced 10% “reciprocal” rates on all UK exports – as well as separately announced 25% levies on cars and steel.
Read more:
G7 summit ‘all about the Donald’ – analysis
Scrambled G7 agenda as leaders race to de-escalate Israel-Iran conflict
In a joint televised phone call in May, Sir Keir and Mr Trump announced the UK and US had agreed on a trade deal – but added the details were being finalised.
Ahead of the G7 summit, the prime minister said he would meet Mr Trump for “one-on-one” talks, and added the agreement “really matters for the vital sectors that are safeguarded under our deal, and we’ve got to implement that”.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Sports2 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike