He was originally sentenced to 7-and-a-half years.
*Content warning: This article contains references to domestic violence.*
The man who left 19-year-old Angel Lynn paralysed after kidnapping her has had his jail sentenced doubled.
Angel was discovered by UK police near Loughborough after she had fallen from a van that she had been dragged into by her then-boyfriend, Chay Bowskill, in September 2020.
CCTV footage showed Bowskill and his friend Rocco Sansome, both 20, kidnapping Angel and putting her into a silver van.
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.
In February, both men were given jail time over the horrific incident, with Bowskill receiving a seven-and-a-half year sentence and Sansome receiving 21 months.
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But the Court of Appeal have now decided Bowskill will instead serve 16 years, more than double his original "unduly lenient" sentence.
The decision will no doubt be welcomed by Angel's parents, who
previously condemned the seven-and-a-half year sentence for sending a poor message to "monsters like him".
Last month, her father Paddy expressed his fury at Bowskill paying "such a small price" for having "stolen everything" from his daughter, while her mum Nikki stated: "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."
Bowskill had been convicted of controlling and coercive behaviour towards Angel throughout the course of their relationship, as well as perverting the course of justice by attempting to get his own mother to retract or change a statement she made to police.
He was however cleared of "unintentionally causing her grievous bodily harm" as prosecutors could not prove that Angel had been thrown or pushed out of the vehicle, and his defence claimed she had jumped or accidentally fell from it.
Per reports, Judge Timothy Spencer QC told Bowskill in sentencing that Angel "was a beautiful young woman who should have been enjoying the carefree years of her late-teens into early adulthood."
"You treated her in a vile way. She was belittled by you to a point where she must have felt worthless on a regular basis," the judge had said. "You bombarded her with repulsive and degrading messages. You controlled her freedom of movement by a variety of means.
"She wasn't allowed any sort of life apart from you. I'm satisfied you meted out violence to her, causing bruising, on at least two occasions."
Angel's family
shared an update on her condition last week and said that while a long road lays ahead of them, they will never "give up trying".
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, contact Women's Aid at 1800 341 900.
