Nikki Lynn has been caring for her daughter Angel (Picture: REX)
The mum of a woman who fell out of a moving van after being kidnapped by her ex-boyfriend has said how her daughter is making ‘massive progress’.
Angel Lynn, then 19, was left paralysed and brain damaged after falling head first from a vehicle travelling at 60mph on the A6 near Loughborough in September 2020.
She is unable to eat or speak and requiring round-the-clock care.
Angel’s abusive ex Chay Bowskill, then 20, bundled her into the van in Rothley, Leicestershire, and was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
In a heartbreaking interview, Angel’s mum Nikki Lynn has revealed how three years on from the accident her daughter ‘is a baby again’ but is ‘definitely still here’.
She told MailOnline: ‘I’ve had times when I’ve thought I can’t take any more. But then I think about Angel, and how she’s a baby again because of what happened.
‘My baby needs her mum, so I will be there for her.’
Since moving into a new rehabilitation centre, Angel has made ‘massive progress’, including learning to make a cup of tea and standing up in a swimming pool.
Angel is now able to write people’s name down and stand up in a swimming pool (Picture: PA)
Angel Lynn with her mum standing for the first time
‘She moved into a new rehab centre a year ago and they’re working wonders — that’s where she’s making all this progress,’ Nikki explains.
‘She went to her friend’s 21st birthday the other day, and we’ve taken her to the pub. She’s learning to swallow on her own [Angel has a feeding tube fitted into her stomach], which meant she could have a few sips of juice.’
Angel is also able to write people’s names, answer questions and make jokes.
She is also able to clearly communicate with her mum, who gave up her job in the family cleaning business to help care for her daughter.
Nikki said: ‘She might not be able to talk, but my Angel is definitely in there.
Chay Bowskill grabbed Angel and bundled her into the back of a van (Picture: Leicestershire Police / SWNS)
‘You can see it in her eyes. If she finds something funny she’ll make a noise and her shoulders will lift. And she still feels things: some days she’s happy and others she’s sad or worried about the future.’
But Angel appears to have no memory of her relationship with Bowskill, or the accident.
Her parents say they believe Bowskill pushed Angel out of the van, but this was unable to be proven in court.
For now, the family are focusing on renovating their home in Loughborough, ready for Angel’s return.
Nikki Lynn says she is now walking after being thrown out of a van (Picture: PA/SWNS)
They have been able to do this thanks to a public fundraising appeal which has raised more than £200,000.
Nikki said: ‘We’d love to have her home for Christmas.
‘By then, I hope, she might be able to walk and talk a bit, and eat a little, so we can all be together as a family.
‘People were ready to give up on her, but she’s proved them wrong time and time again.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].
For more stories like this, check our news page.
‘My baby needs her mum, so I will be there for her.’
