"My daughter is trapped forever."
*Content warning: This article contains references to domestic violence.*
The parents of a UK teen who was kidnapped by her own boyfriend have expressed their outrage at his "lenient" sentence after their daughter was left paralysed by his actions.
19-year-old Angel Lynn was discovered by police lying on the A6 near Loughborough after she had fallen from a van that she had been dragged into by her boyfriend moments before.
CCTV footage showed 20-year-old Chay Bowskill kidnapping Angel and putting her into a silver van in Mountsorrel on September 17, 2020.
The van was travelling nearly 100km per hour when Angel fell from it, suffering a fractured skull and severe brain injuries.
She is now unable to walk or talk and will require 24-hour care for the rest of her life.
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Bowskill was convicted of coercive and controlling behaviour and perverting the course of justice, but found not guilty to a charge of grievous bodily harm.
On Monday, he was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison, but
according to reports, he will serve just half of that inside. Due to time already served on remand, he could be released as early as June 2024.
Bowskill's friend Rocco Sansome, 20, who was in the van at the time, was also sentenced to 21 months.
Angel's parents have expressed their fury at Bowskill's "unduly lenient" sentence,
telling the Sun they plan to call for a review.
Her mum Nikki said: "This has wrecked Angel’s life. She will never have a job or be a mum. She’ll never hang out with her brothers, sisters or friends again.
"And it’s wrecked our lives too. She needs round-the-clock, 24-hour care. That is our lives now.
"He’ll be out in less than three years. It makes me furious. What kind of message is that sending to monsters like him? He can be back out trying to wreck other women’s lives while my daughter is trapped forever.”
Angel's father Paddy added that he will "never forgive" Bowskill for having "stolen everything from Angel" and that the 20-year-old is paying "such a small price with that sentence".
In a statement, the dad previously spoke about the impact the horrific incident has had on their whole family, whose lives have been "changed beyond recognition forever".
"Angel was so full of life and had such a great future ahead of her. That future has sadly been taken away from her," he said.
"The catastrophic injuries Angel suffered will mean life will never be the same for her or our family. Every day is not only a huge struggle for Angel but also a huge struggle for our family and friends. We are lucky in some ways as we are a close family, we have lots of lovely friends who help us and people that care in other ways.
"We try to remain strong but we know that every day will be difficult and a struggle for us all, especially for Angel. I know that Angel will never get married now and I will never get to walk my daughter down the aisle. Nikki and I will never be grandparents to Angel’s children.
"We don’t know what the future holds for our daughter but we try to put smiles on our faces each day but inside our hearts are bleeding out."
Police have released the CCTV footage in a bid to raise awareness of coercive and controlling behaviour.
If you have been affected by anything in this article, contact Women's Aid at 1800 341 900.
