McGuinness urged to assure safety of exiled Derry man

The mother of a Derry man living in exile in England has appealed to Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness to assure that he and his family are safe to return to the North.

Joseph McCloskey fled his home in Derry’s Shantallow estate along with his wife and family in April last year amid fears that the IRA was plotting to assassinate him.

Days earlier, the father-of-six had been involved in a fight while working as a doorman at a Derry pub.

Mr McCloskey’s mother Bridie brought five of her children to Mr McGuinness’s office in Bangor, Co Down, today to plead for assurances about her son’s safety.

"I want Martin McGuinness to guarantee my family’s safety and all of Derry knows he can do it," she said.