Sergio Aguero scored his fifth goal in his last three games to help Manchester City back into third place in the Premier League and keep Sunderland rooted to the bottom of the table.

The Black Cats had defended doggedly before a swift City counter attack ended with Aguero prodding in Raheem Sterling's low cross from close range.
The visitors then clicked into gear as David Silva fed the explosive Leroy Sane for the Germany winger to double their lead after the break.
Jermain Defoe did find the net in a rare Sunderland attack late on, but his header was ruled out for offside.
The result could have been more comfortable for City, but Sunderland keeper Jordan Pickford saved well from Aguero.
For all City's possession, it was the hosts who threatened first, Defoe hitting the post with a bouncing effort from outside the box that had Willy Caballero beaten.
Fabio Borini headed wide from the rebound, and any hopes David Moyes' side had of taking three points seemed to evaporate with that miss.
With Chelsea not in action until Monday, Manchester City took the chance to move within eight points of the runaway leaders with a confident performance at the Stadium of Light.
Pep Guardiola will hope this victory, and an earlier win for second-placed Tottenham, may see Antonio Conte's side begin to feel the pressure.
It was a fourth league win on the trot for Guardiola's outfit, who are building momentum and can continue to crank up the heat up on their title rivals when they face Stoke in a game in hand on Wednesday.
But they are fighting on three fronts, with this routine victory marking the start of five games in 15 days that include a Champions League last-16 second-leg trip to Monaco and a FA Cup quarter-final at Middlesbrough.
It is a problem Guardiola will welcome, but does the Spaniard's squad have the depth to cope?
He made five changes to the side which thrashed Huddersfield 5-1 in midweek and could afford to drop Kevin de Bruyne for Silva, whose incisive passing helped unlock a resilient Sunderland.
So what about Aguero? The Argentine's future was thrust into the spotlight after he lost his place to 19-year-old Gabriel Jesus last month, and he admitted this week his position at the club was unclear.
Guardiola can be ruthless when he feels a player does not fit into his system, just ask Joe Hart, but a metatarsal injury for Brazil forward Jesus appears to have offered Aguero a lifeline.
The 28-year-old has now scored five goals in his last three games in all competitions for City, having gone six games without finding the net before that.
Guardiola is building a team spearheaded by youth, and Aguero's poacher-like presence was complemented once again by the creativity of Sterling and Sane.
Sterling's trickery proved a constant threat down the right and Sane's sheer speed gave City an outlet on the opposite flank, gliding beyond his marker to finish left-footed past Pickford for the visitors' second.
Sunderland have become masters of beating the drop when appearing dead and buried in recent seasons, but they may have left the escape act too late this time around.
Sitting six points from safety at the bottom of the Premier League, the Black Cats' fate lies out of their hands.
And with relegation rivals Crystal Palace, Swansea and Leicester enjoying a recent upturn in form, David Moyes needs something of a miracle if his side are to spring a late recovery.
Moyes' side have taken points off Liverpool and Tottenham at home since the turn of the year, and did frustrate City for long spells in the first half, but once the visitors found a breakthrough they were able to keep Sunderland at arm's length.
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Sunderland manager David Moyes speaking to BBC Sport: "I don't think you can fault the players for any of that. We lacked quality at times though. They did all they could to try to get something out of the game."
On the team: "When you're in it every day you see the levels go up. We've got games coming up - we don't have to show it, we have to do it.
"We tried to make chances. The one that hits the post and comes out maybe that'll hit the inside of the post and go in next time.
"I hope our players understand the position that we're in, but we're not panicking."
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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola speaking to BBC Sport: "We are so happy. We played good. We expected aggression and intensity. It was a very good first goal. It was important to go into half-time 1-0 up. If they were winning with the amazing atmosphere it would have been difficult.
"Leroy Sane is every day getting better. He has gaps to improve but he's only 21. He's an intelligent guy and a very nice guy. We are here to help him become what he can be.
"We were passing the ball between ourselves in the last 25 minutes. I don't like to defend a result and be near our box. It is OK if you're 3-0 or 4-0 up but not 2-0."
Read more from Guardiola
Manchester City host Stoke on Wednesday, kick-off 20:00 GMT, before visiting Middlesbrough in the FA Cup on Saturday (12:15).
Sunderland are not back in action until Saturday, 18 March, when they welcome Burnley to the Stadium of Light.
Match ends, Sunderland 0, Manchester City 2.
Second Half ends, Sunderland 0, Manchester City 2.
Attempt blocked. Sergio Agüero (Manchester City) right footed shot from the right side of the six yard box is blocked. Assisted by Bacary Sagna.
Fabian Delph (Manchester City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Fabio Borini (Sunderland).
Substitution, Manchester City. Fabian Delph replaces Leroy Sané.
Fernandinho (Manchester City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Bryan Oviedo (Sunderland).
Corner,  Manchester City. Conceded by Jordan Pickford.
Attempt saved. Sergio Agüero (Manchester City) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Leroy Sané.
Attempt saved. Nolito (Manchester City) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Kevin De Bruyne.
Attempt missed. Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) left footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Leroy Sané.
Attempt saved. Sergio Agüero (Manchester City) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Kevin De Bruyne.
Offside, Sunderland. Lamine Koné tries a through ball, but Jermain Defoe is caught offside.
Attempt missed. Lamine Koné (Sunderland) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Wahbi Khazri with a cross following a corner.
Corner,  Sunderland. Conceded by Gaël Clichy.
Corner,  Sunderland. Conceded by John Stones.
Substitution, Sunderland. Wahbi Khazri replaces Adnan Januzaj.
Substitution, Manchester City. Nolito replaces Raheem Sterling.
Bacary Sagna (Manchester City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Fabio Borini (Sunderland).
Substitution, Manchester City. Kevin De Bruyne replaces Yaya Touré.
Corner,  Manchester City. Conceded by Lamine Koné.
Attempt missed. Yaya Touré (Manchester City) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by David Silva.
Attempt missed. Leroy Sané (Manchester City) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Raheem Sterling with a cross.
Substitution, Sunderland. Jack Rodwell replaces Darron Gibson because of an injury.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Darron Gibson (Sunderland) because of an injury.
Attempt missed. Adnan Januzaj (Sunderland) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Bryan Oviedo with a cross.
Attempt saved. Lamine Koné (Sunderland) header from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Adnan Januzaj with a cross.
Corner,  Sunderland. Conceded by Willy Caballero.
Attempt saved. Sebastian Larsson (Sunderland) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the right is saved in the centre of the goal.
Goal!  Sunderland 0, Manchester City 2. Leroy Sané (Manchester City) left footed shot from the left side of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by David Silva with a through ball.
Attempt blocked. Sergio Agüero (Manchester City) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by David Silva.
Attempt saved. David Silva (Manchester City) left footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Raheem Sterling.
Raheem Sterling (Manchester City) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Bryan Oviedo (Sunderland).
Offside, Sunderland. Adnan Januzaj tries a through ball, but Didier Ndong is caught offside.
Foul by Fernandinho (Manchester City).
Didier Ndong (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the defensive half.


DNA samples taken from thousands of former prisoners could be destroyed if police lose a judicial review later.

An ex-prisoner, referred to in court as R, argues that a police force's request to collect his DNA threatens arrest and infringes his human rights.
Under Operation Nutmeg, DNA samples have been collected from prisoners who pre-date routine collection.
Judges will decide if the force's approach was unlawful and if DNA collected in such a way can be kept.
The police force at the centre of the case - which also cannot be named for legal reasons - was trying to collect the sample as part of Operation Nutmeg, a push across England and Wales to collect genetic material from people jailed for serious crimes before 1994.
After that date, people convicted of serious crimes had DNA swabs routinely taken to add to the national database.
The aim of the operation is to see if there is any match to unsolved crimes with DNA from the former prisoners.
By July of this year, 6,204 samples had been taken under the scheme, with 111 being matched to crime scenes.
R - who was jailed for manslaughter in the 1980s but after his release was only in trouble for a lesser, non-violent offence - argues that he has turned his life around since 2000.
In a statement read to the court, he said: "I have changed my life over the past 13 years and have earned the right not to come under suspicion."
R was contacted by police in March this year. An officer hand-delivered a pro forma letter which told him that because he had a previous conviction for a serious offence he was being asked to give the officer a DNA sample.
The letter went on to say that if he chose not to, he would be required to attend a police station within seven days and if he failed to do that he could be liable to arrest.
The letter was signed by the chief constable of the force.
The BBC understands such pro forma requests are made by many other forces, as part of Operation Nutmeg.
The force involved in the case sent out 391 such letters, and collected 389 DNA swabs there and then.
R's lawyers told a hearing in July that the letter he received breached national guidelines because the threat of arrest made it a requirement to give the sample, not a request.
They also allege Operation Nutmeg breached section 8 of the Human Rights Act - the right to respect for private life.
They added that there was no reason to suspect R had committed any other crimes and to ask for his DNA was "pure speculation" in case there was a match on the files.
The judges hearing the review - Lord Justice Pitchford and Mr Justice Hickinbottom - indicated in the earlier hearing that they were inclined to agree that the letter breached the guidelines.
That could mean all the Operation Nutmeg  DNA samples collected using similar methods may have to be destroyed, and criminal cases based on such evidence could collapse.
If they agree that the complainant's human rights were breached, it could affect the way DNA samples are collected in the future.


A six-month-old girl was rescued after her pram was blown into a river by a gust of wind.

The baby's grandmother had been walking alongside the River Severn, near Victoria Street, in Shrewsbury when the carrier fell into the water.
West Mercia Police said three council workers nearby heard the woman scream and rushed to her aid.
Two jumped into the water and rescued the baby, who appeared unharmed, police said.
The girl was taken by ambulance to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, where she is being looked after.
Det Insp Paul Mathison praised the trio for their "quick thinking and brave actions" and said they averted a potential tragedy.


An anti-fracking group is holding a public meeting after a multinational company announced it was to test drill for methane gas in Wrexham.

GP Energy has submitted a planning application to explore underneath land near Commonwood Farm, Borras.
The company insists it is just exploratory drilling and has no plans for fracking - a controversial method of extracting gas from rock.
But North East Wales Against Fracking Action said local people were worried.
The plans by GP Energy to test drill a borehole to explore for coal bed methane underground will be considered by Wrexham council.
The site is two miles from the River Dee and opponents fear that the test drilling could eventually lead to hydraulic fracturing, better known as fracking.
Resident Luke Ashley, spokesperson for the newly-launched action group, said the drilling could be "just the start of what could be the industrialisation of the countryside to the east of Wrexham".
"The test bore is to assess how much gas is present in the coal seams that stretch from Point of Ayr in Flintshire all the way down through Wrexham and into Cheshire and Shropshire," he said.
"If full-blown extraction of coal bed methane follows it could involve pumping thousands of litres of water and chemicals into the ground to force out the gas.
"We are incredibly concerned that this could leak into drinking water supplies in the nearby River Dee."
He added that the group would be lobbying councillors before the plans were discussed by the council's planning committee, possibly later this year.
A public meeting was taking place on Tuesday evening.
Fracking is a technique where water and chemicals are pumped into shale rock at high pressure to extract gas.
It was temporarily banned in the UK after it was blamed for two earth tremors in Blackpool in 2011.
Opponents claim water used in the fracking process will be contaminated and could enter domestic supplies.
But a UK government review has now concluded fracking is safe if adequately monitored.
Dart Energy, which owns GP Energy, last week told the Wrexham Leader that it had no plans for fracking in the Wrexham area and said the well at the drilling site would be cemented over once exploration had taken place.
A company spokesman told the newspaper: "Dart Energy can confirm the planning application is for the drilling of a coal bed methane exploration well which is temporary in nature and will be fully cemented upon completion of the operation.
"The purpose of the well is to extract a core (sample) from the coal seam in order to test the methane content in a laboratory.
"As with similar wells in the past, Dart Energy has no plans to frack this well and is not seeking permission to frack the well from either the local authority or the Environment Agency."
Wrexham council said the application would be considered by the planning committee in due course.


(Closed): Wall Street stocks rose on Friday, lifted by positive jobs and manufacturing data.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 107.66 point, or 0.6%,  to 17,792.75.
The S&P 500 climbed 13.04 points, or 0.63%,  to 2,072.78 and the Nasdaq was up 0.92% to 4,914.54.
The markets were boosted by 215,000 jobs being created in in March, slightly above the anticipated 200,000. And manufacturing activity increased for the first time in five months.
Shares in US carmakers fell.  They were hit because even though sales in March were strong they were below analysts' expectations.
General Motors shares fell 3.1% and Ford shares dropped 3%.
Petroleum-linked shares dropped on lower oil prices. Chevron fell 1.2% and Marathon Oil 5.2%.
And it was a bad day for US airlines.
Shares in American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Continental all fell sharply after Deutsche Bank warned lower corporate earnings could translate into lower demand for corporate travel. Carriers who fly internationally were hit especially hard. American lost 3.6%,  Delta 3.4% and United 5.3%


The Archbishop of York has defended the decision to sack all 30 of York Minister's bell-ringers and said they showed "repeated disregard" for its safeguarding policies.

Dr John Sentamu said he had to take action regarding a bell-ringer "on safeguarding grounds" in the summer.
He said advice was taken to "minimise risk to children, young people and vulnerable adults".
The bells fell silent last Tuesday in order for a new team to be recruited.
Speaking at a news conference, Dr Sentamu backed the decision made by the Minster's governing body, the Chapter of York, in order to make the church "a safe place for everyone".
He said: "Earlier this summer, it was necessary for the Chapter to take action regarding a member of the bell-ringing community on safeguarding grounds.
"This came after complex multi-agency activity involving City of York Council, York Diocese Safeguarding Adviser and the Church of England's National Safeguarding Officer.
"The decision was taken in line with advice from safeguarding professionals, and with regard to national policies and guidance, including the Church of England's on minimising risk to children, young people and vulnerable adults."
Dr Sentamu said some bell-ringers had "consistently challenged the Chapter's authority on this and other important matters".
"Repeated disregard of the Chapter's attempts to fully implement the Church's national policies for safeguarding, health and safety and security meant that decisive action was required," he said.
"This is why the Chapter took the decision to disband the bell ringing team last week. New arrangements for bell ringing at the Minster will start in the New Year."
A petition calling for the bell-ringers to be reinstated to peal the bells on Remembrance Sunday, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve has received more than 15,000 signatures.


A bunch of grapes has sold for a record-breaking $11,000 (Â£8,500) in Japan, where fruit often commands high prices and social prestige.

A supermarket owner from western Japan walked away with 30 grapes, each worth about $360.
They were the first Ruby Romans - a super sweet grape variety grown in Ishikawa prefecture - of the season.
"We will display them at our store before giving our customers a sample taste," Takamaru Konishi said.
The Japanese are often willing to pay top-dollar for premium samples of fruit, sometimes with the intention of giving them as gifts to people perceived to be of higher status - for example, their boss at work.
A single apple can cost up to $3. And melons are sometimes sold for the equivalent price of a vintage wine.
Last year a pair of melons sold under the hammer for more than $12,000.
"I am so happy and I am honoured," Mr Konishi said.
"These are truly Ruby Roman gems."


Four Iranian-expatriate musicians living in Brooklyn, New York, have been shot dead in what authorities are labelling a murder-suicide.

Two members of the group Yellow Dogs and a third artist were slain by a fellow musician, Ali Akbar Mahammadi Rafie, who later took his own life.
Police believe the attack happened as Rafie, 29, was upset after being thrown out of another band.
Two of those killed had just received political asylum in the US.
They were brothers and members of the Yellow Dogs, who described themselves on their Twitter feed as "a Post Punk/Dance Punk band from Tehran/Iran, living in Brooklyn at the moment".
Gunfire rang out early on Monday as Rafie climbed from the roof on to a third-floor terrace where he opened fire through a window, shooting dead Ali Eskandarian, 35, a musician, said police.
Arash Farazmand, 28, the Yellow Dogs drummer, was found dead on the same level of the apartment.
His brother, Soroush Farazmand, 27, the band's guitarist, was using his laptop in bed when he received fatal gunshot injuries.
The Yellow Dogs' two other members were not at the flat at the time of the killing.
According to police, another unidentified tenant was hit in the arm as Rafie and a former fellow band mate from a group called the Free Keys struggled over the gun.
Rafie retrieved ammunition that had fallen out of the firearm, went to the roof and shot himself in the head, said police.
The person wounded in the arm was taken to hospital and is said to be in stable condition.
Rafie "was upset that he wasn't in the band anymore", said New York Police Department spokesman John McCarthy.
Investigators believe the gunman and his former Free Keys members, may have had an argument over money, but it was unclear why he shot at members of the Yellow Dogs.
The rifle was found next to Rafie's body, according to NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly.
He said it had been purchased in New York state in 2006, and police were tracking its history.
Police are investigating whether a guitar case found near the scene was used to carry the assault rifle in the attack.
The Yellow Dogs were well-known among young Iranian expatriates in the US, reports Bahman Kalbasi of the BBC Persian service.
Ali Salehezadeh, the band's manager, said the gunman knew the victims but had not spoken to them in months because of a "petty conflict".
"There was a decision not to be around each other," he said. "They were never that close to begin with. We thought it was all behind us."
The shooting took place in Brooklyn's East Williamsburg neighbourhood, known for its edgy, creative vibe and community of artists and musicians. The band members had lived in the neighbourhood.
"They seem like really nice guys," a local man, Martin Greenman, told the New York Daily News.
"They didn't seem to be in any way to be violent guys. They weren't rabble rousers or anything like that."
Mr Salehezadeh said the victims' relatives were stunned.
"People don't own guns in Iran," he said. "We don't have this problem there. It doesn't exist."
Members of an Iranian band with the same name were interviewed by US consulate officials in Istanbul in 2009 as they applied for a visa for a US tour, according to a diplomatic cable leaked to Wikileaks.
They described the "small but crazy" underground rock scene in Tehran, saying it was the community that offered "the most free expression" in Iran.


Derbyshire moved to the top of the T20 Blast North Group as they claimed a five-wicket win against Yorkshire at Headingley.

Yorkshire posted 180-5, which included a 31-ball 42 from debutant Sarfraz Ahmed and 34 from Adam Lyth.
Billy Godleman (67) and Wayne Madsen (47) led their chase as Gary Wilson hit the winning runs with two balls left.
Elsewhere, South Group leaders Glamorgan lost in their rain-disrupted match against Gloucestershire.
Having lost just three times in their past 12 outings coming into the game, Yorkshire posed a tough challenge for Derbyshire at Headingley.
But, in a thrilling finale going into the final over, Wilson hit the winning four to finish on an unbeaten 33 from 16 balls as Derbyshire recorded their sixth T20 Blast win this season.
Gloucestershire sealed a dramatic T20 Blast victory by five runs thanks to DLS, as rain played havoc with play against Glamorgan in Cardiff.
Thisara Perera had bowled Jacques Rudolph in the last ball of the fifth over to leave the Welsh county on 32-2 before the rain fell.
Earlier, Phil Mustard hit 57 for the visitors but Michael Hogan claimed a career-best 5-17 to limit Gloucestershire to 150-9.
It means Glamorgan have had four games washed out this season and they are now just a point ahead of Hampshire, while Gloucestershire move up to fourth.
Hampshire ensured a fifth win from their past seven away games as they easily beat Middlesex in front of 20,000 at Lord's.
Without overseas players Brendon McCullum and Tim Southee and England's Dawid Malan, Toby Roland-Jones and Steven Finn, Stevie Eskinazi was the only star of the hosts' innings as they struggled against Hampshire's bowling attack.
Eskinazi hit five fours and one six for his 43 before he was bowled by Mason Crane and the hosts quickly fell to 136 all out, five balls shy of 20 overs.
Rilee Rossouw fired 60 from 47 balls as the visitors made easy work of reaching their target as they posted 137-4 on a balmy north London summer's evening.
Rossouw's half-century was not the only pick of the action at the home of cricket on Thursday though.
Fourteen overs into Hampshire's innings, a fox ran onto the field. Much like the visitors, the staff at Lord's made quick work of the chase.
Northants and Lancashire faced each other in a repeat of the 2015 T20 Blast final, but this time it was Northants who came out on top.
Fresh from their agonising final-ball defeat by Birmingham Bears on Tuesday, Richard Levi hit a tremendous 71 for Northants, which included five fours and three sixes.
Adam Rossington added 29 while captain Alex Wakely posted an unbeaten 35 to set the visitors a target of 159.
Ryan McLaren, aided by Dane Vilas (40), hit a superb 77 to give Lancashire hope of a successful chase - but it was not enough.
Requiring 26 from the final over, McLaren hit two successive sixes before he was caught by Rob Keogh off Rory Kleinveldt (3-16) and the Red Rose finished 11 runs short on 147-9.
With just one win from eight matches, Sussex were rooted to the foot of the T20 Blast South Group table going into their game against Surrey.
However, the south coast county stormed to victory with a huge 6.3 overs to spare in Hove.
Surrey posted 148-8 with Moises Henriques - playing his first Surrey match since breaking his jaw after a collision with team-mate Rory Burns in 2015 - top scoring with 41 but Tymal Mils (3-20) was the pick of the hosts' bowling attack.
Chris Nash hit nine fours and three sixes for his 64 to put on 120 for the first wicket with Stiaan van Zyl (52) as the hosts made easy work of their chase.
Can Derbyshire win the T20 Blast North Group?


A new electric and petrol-powered London taxi being built in Warwickshire has been unveiled.

The model, unveiled on Tuesday by the London EV Company (LEVC), runs for about 70 miles on its battery before switching to a petrol engine.
The hybrid vehicle would save drivers an average of £100 each week in fuel costs compared with the outgoing diesel model, the manufacturer said.
It is due to be seen on London's streets later this year.
An initial order for 225 vehicles, which will be built at its headquarters in Ansty, has been placed by Dutch taxi operator RMC.
The London Taxi Company, now renamed the London EV Company, faced administration in 2013 before China's Zhejing Geely Holding Group stepped in to rescue the firm.
From next year all new London cabs must be capable of producing zero emissions, while there will be a ban on new diesel taxis entering the city.
LEVC chief executive Chris Gubbey said: "London has led the way in setting out tough measures to reduce taxi and van emissions and in just a few short years we expect electric vehicles for the commercial operator will not just become commonplace but mandatory in cities around the world, creating huge opportunities for LEVC globally."
An LEVC spokesman said: "We have had thousands of expressions of interest from individual drivers in London. The order book will open on 1 August when we'll take deposits."
He said taxi drivers in London were a mixture of those who own their vehicle and others who rent from companies who had bought taxis in bulk.


Three men who attacked a man dressed as Dracula and his two costumed friends with knives and a baseball bat, have been jailed.

Rossco Stern, 23, Charlie Hill, 33, and Gary Thoms, also 33, carried out the attack after turning up uninvited to the Halloween party in Dundee.
Sheriff George Way described the three men as "feral thugs".
Stern and Hill both admitted the charges and Thoms was found guilty by a jury following a trial.
Stern and Hill were each jailed for three years and two months, while Thoms was sentenced to three years and four months in prison.
A trial at Dundee Sheriff Court heard that the men were thrown out of the party on 1 November 2015 after sparking an argument.
CCTV footage showed victims Liam Holt, Fraser Nicoll and Michael Craib being attacked as they tried to flee the attackers.
Mr Holt was seen being thrown to the ground before one of the gang repeatedly struck him on the head with a baseball bat while another, identified as Thoms, kicked his head.
Knives were seen being brandished and repeatedly used on the victims, who eventually escaped.
Stern, from Glasgow, and Hill, from Dundee, each admitted two charges of assault to severe injury and permanent disfigurement.
Thoms, 33, from Dundee, was found guilty of assaulting Liam Holt to his severe injury and permanent disfigurement.
Kevin McCarron, defending Stern said: "He fully accepts custody is merited and he acknowledges the consequences could have been far more serious.
Solicitor advocate Jim Laverty, for Hill, said: "He is utterly ashamed of himself and utterly ashamed of watching the CCTV."
Mike Short, defending Thoms, said his client realised there was no excuse for his behaviour but insisted the death of his father had an impact on him as well as terminal cancer suffered by his grandfather.
All three will be supervised for a year in the community following their release.
Sheriff Way said: "The attack I saw on CCTV footage was absolutely atrocious.
"They were being pursued by you like a pack of vicious dogs.
"They were no threat to you or any of your friends."


Behind the frantic number-crunching and political fallout from Wednesday's Budget lies a large group of disabled people who will be affected by the latest benefit reform.

The Personal Independence Payment (PIP) has gone through several changes since it was first introduced in April 2013. It is slowly replacing Disability Living Allowance (DLA). Nearly 700,000 people currently claim PIP, with another 1.5 million still to be reassessed.
The latest change applies to the formula the government uses to calculate the daily living component of PIP, which will come into effect in January 2017.
The government says that it's likely 640,000 people will be affected.
But for many disabled people, the chancellor's speech was baffling. He said that the government would be spending an extra £1bn on disability. However, only a few days earlier it was announced that there would be cuts to a major disability benefit.
The Treasury's own figures show a saving of £4.4bn by 2020-21 - so how can they be spending more?
Those who use aids and appliances, like specialist toilet seats or grab rails are the ones who could lose out. Instead of receiving two points during the eligibility assessment - if you use a grab rail to go to the bathroom for example, you'll now only receive one point.
This single point difference could mean losing the benefit altogether or getting less, which is where the saving of just under £4.4bn comes from.
Who will it impact? Sarah Stewart developed a neurological condition in 2013. It affects her balance, which means on some days she struggles to walk. She uses a catheter and her bed to help her get dressed and under the new criteria, she is set to lose more than £200 a month.
Jack (not his real name) has the muscle-wasting condition Pompe Disease. His condition has progressed rapidly over the last couple of years, and he has been awarded the enhanced rate of the daily living component of PIP.
Highly dependent on aids and appliances, he scored in the sections for using aids in preparing food, washing and bathing, using the toilet and moving around. Jack could lose £120 a month, putting his ability to live independently at risk.
Disability rights campaigners argue that some of the most vulnerable people are feeling the cumulative impact of welfare reform and that any cut would be felt acutely.
However, the government says it reviewed a sample of cases where claimants scored all or most of their points from aids and appliances. This review showed that in 96% of cases, claimants were likely to have low, minimal or no extra cost.
But with these changes going ahead how can the Chancellor, George Osborne, boast the Treasury is spending £1bn more, when to many he seems to be making swingeing cuts? It's all down to forecasts in spending.
In November last year it had underestimated how much disability benefits were going to cost. At that time it forecast spending of £16.2bn in 2015-16, rising to £16.7bn in 2020-21. Now, it still expects spending of £16.2bn in 2015-16 but forecasts it rising to £17.2bn over the same period.
So, in a nutshell (a rather large one at that), disability benefits are going up despite cuts. But take that as you will, I feel I might be back here explaining more revised forecasts in the very near future.


Rail services have faced major delays after a man was hit by a train near Birmingham International station.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene at about 06:40 GMT, British Transport Police said.
"The incident is not being treated as suspicious," it said, adding officers were working to establish his identity.
Lines between the station and Birmingham New Street have reopened and are now running as normal.
West Midlands Ambulance Service sent two ambulances and a paramedic area support officer to the scene, north of Birmingham International.
For more on this and other Birmingham and Black Country news
Passengers travelling to London and the South East as well as those going north to Manchester and Newcastle were among those affected.
Virgin Trains said tickets were being accepted on trains run by other operators on alternative routes and coaches shuttled passengers from New Street to Birmingham International and Coventry.
Meanwhile, "urgent repairs" are being carried out on the track between Rugby and Milton Keynes Central, leading to train delays of up to 60 minutes, according to National Rail Enquiries.


Egyptian officials are briefing Italian counterparts in Rome on the progress of an investigation into the torture and murder of student Giulio Regeni.

The Cambridge student's murder outside Cairo earlier this year has shone a light on Egypt's human rights record.
Egyptian police and prosecutors are expected to share initial findings of their investigation, which has faced strong Italian criticism.
Regeni, 28, disappeared on his way to meet a friend on 25 January.
His body, mutilated and showing signs of torture, was found in a ditch on 3 February.
Giulio Regeni murder: Family in Italy expects Egypt answers
Body of Italian student found in Egypt
The BBC's Julian Miglierini in Rome says the case has strained the relationship between Egypt and Italy, and expectations for the meeting in Rome on Thursday morning are running high.
Our correspondent says that there is a feeling in Italy that the Egyptian authorities are not moving fast enough in their investigation into the murder.
His family and the Italian government have been unsatisfied by the several contradicting accounts given by the Egyptian authorities of what may have happened to the Cambridge University student after he went missing.
Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has said Italy would not settle for what he called a "convenient truth".
"We owe that to Giulio, his friends, his mother, father, his little sister - and we owe it to all of us. We hope and we think Egypt can co-operate with our magistrates."
Many in Italy think that Regeni could have been targeted by the Egyptian intelligence services because of his research on trade unions and activism.
But Cairo investigators have suggested that he was kidnapped and killed by a criminal gang, possibly posing as members of Egyptian police.
At the meeting in Rome, Egyptian investigators are expected to deliver evidence such as phone taps, CCTV footage and forensic analyses which could help the Italian team carrying out a parallel inquiry.
Regeni's mother, Paola Deffendi, recently told a Rome news conference that she and her husband had strong doubts about what the Egyptian authorities had said so far about the circumstances surrounding his murder.
Cairo deputy prosecutor Mostafa Soliman and another official are on Thursday due to be joined by police officers, including one from the Giza area where the young student's body was found.
Regeni, 28, disappeared on 25 January, the fifth anniversary of the uprising against President Hosni Mubarak, while there was a heavy police presence in Cairo.
His body was found a week later in a ditch on the outskirts of Cairo, showing signs of severe torture.
Egypt's initial autopsy report said Regeni had been hit on the back of the head with a sharp instrument.
Much of the evidence of torture came to light in a second autopsy by Italian doctors. Italy's Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said Mr Regeni had suffered "something inhuman".
As a PhD student at the University of Cambridge, Regeni was carrying out research on trade unions and labour rights in Egypt, a sensitive topic in recent years.
Rumours about possible involvement of Egypt's security services in the killing have been reported by the Italian press, activists and opposition groups.
Cairo investigators have suggested that Mr Regeni was kidnapped and killed by a criminal gang posing as members of Egyptian police.
Police then said they had killed all five members of the alleged gang in a raid and recovered some of Mr Regeni's personal belongings.
Mr Regeni's family say they are adamant their son was killed by Egyptian authorities and that the criminal gang theory is a cover up.


Saracens fought back from 14 points down to move up to third and end fellow play-off hopefuls Wasps' unbeaten record at the Ricoh Arena.

The hosts had led 17-3 thanks to two converted tries in quick succession from Christian Wade and Elliot Daly.
But Jackson Wray and Chris Wyles both went in before the break to turn the game around and put Saracens ahead.
Alex Goode kicked two second-half penalties as the visitors added 23 points without reply to deservedly win.
Wasps, who had started the day level on points with Saracens, dropped to sixth after Leicester Tigers' late win at Newcastle Falcons.
Andy Goode kicked the home side in front early on after Maro Itoje was penalised for not rolling away, but his namesake levelled the scores soon afterwards when Wasps were penalised for not releasing.
Wade then registered the first try of the afternoon, running on to his own grubber-kick to cross after quick hands from Ashley Johnson.
Daly surged through to add a second try for Wasps moments later, and they looked well on course to extend their 100% Premiership home record since relocating to Coventry.
However, a driving Saracens maul from a line-out led to a try from Wray and then an Alex Goode penalty reduced the lead to just four points.
Versatile USA international Wyles collected Richard Wigglesworth's bouncing kick to put Sarries in front and Alex Goode, playing at fly-half in the absence of Owen Farrell and Charlie Hodgson, added another penalty before half-time.
After the break, despite Chris Ashton still being in the sin-bin for a first-half high tackle, Alex Goode added a further three points to extend Saracens' lead.
England and Saracens centre Brad Barritt then limped off with an ankle injury after landing awkwardly.
Wasps substitute Guy Thompson was then sent to the sin-bin for going in at the side and Goode was successful again from the resulting penalty.
Saracens looked the stronger as the game went on, with Wigglesworth in particular outstanding, and the victory saw them move above Bath, but remain below second-place Exeter after the Chiefs recorded a bonus-point win on Saturday.
Wasps director of rugby Dai Young:
"Nothing changes as a result of today, we are still a work in progress and we are still aiming for a place in the top six.
"We knew what was coming from (Saracens) as they don't play a lot of rugby, they kick the ball a lot to squeeze you and it's very hard to play against.
"If you can control it, you get options to play, as we showed in the first 20 minutes, but after that we struggled to deal with the aerial bombardment as we dropped the ball far too often."
Saracens boss Mark McCall:
"We had the clarity of thought not to be spooked when they scored two tries in three minutes as we put the ball in the right areas to put pressure on them.
"You can see that they have people who can hurt you from long range as they've scored a lot of tries from inside their own half this season.
"We had chances to close it up late on, which we didn't take, but we did deprive them of a vital bonus point."
"We are hopeful (Brad Barritt's injury) isn't too serious and we have our fingers crossed because Brad must be very close to England selection next week."
Wasps: Miller; Wade, Daly, Downey, Tagicakibau; Andy Goode, Simpson; Mullan (capt), Lindsay, Cittadini, Davies, Gaskell, Johnson, Young, Hughes.
Replacements: Masi for Downey (63), Lozowski for Goode (71), McIntyre for Mullan (71), Jackson for Lindsay (72), Swainston for Cittadini (67), Myall for Gaskell (60). Not Used: Thompson, Weepu.
Sin Bin: Thompson (66).
Saracens: Ransom; Ashton, Bosch, Barritt, Wyles; Alex Goode, Wigglesworth; Vunipola, George, Du Plessis, Hamilton, Hargreaves (capt), Itoje, Burger, Wray.
Replacements: Streather for Barritt (59), Spencer for Wigglesworth (79), Gill for Vunipola (63), Saunders for George (79), Figallo for Du Plessis (59), Hankin for Burger (79). Not Used: Joubert, Mordt.
Sin Bin: Ashton (41).
Referee: Matt Carley.
Attendance: 16,874


Villagers from an area in West Sussex where protests have been taking place against oil exploration have walked to meet the campaigners.

The demonstration in Balcombe is now in its 10th day but energy firm Cuadrilla began drilling at the site on Friday after being held up by the protests.
Campaigners fear the test drilling could lead to hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking.
More than 100 Balcombe residents walked from the village to the protest site.
Helen Savage said: "Local villagers wanted to meet the protesters.
"Overwhelmingly we are against fracking and it is important to get our views across.
"We want our land to remain frack-free."
By Andy MooreBBC News
It was billed not as a protest march but as a weekend stroll.
One of the villagers said that Balcombe was typically middle England. They even sang their own version of 'Jerusalem' as they walked down to the protest site.
One villager joked that all that was missing was the cream and scones.
There are some voices raised against the semi-professional protesters on their doorstep. But the villagers who marched today say 85% of Balcombe's population of roughly 2,000 are against fracking - even though the drilling at the moment is conventional and exploratory.
Most of them say they are not "Nimbys" - they say there's no justification for fracking anywhere in the UK.
There have been no arrests on the site so far on Saturday, and the BBC's Andy Moore described the mood on site as "good natured".
Charles Metcalfe, a TV wine expert who lives in the village, has formed the No Fracking in Balcombe Society with his wife.
He said: "As far as I'm concerned, I'm a Sussex resident who thinks this is a poisonous process which will do us a lot of harm and not a lot of financial good."
A survey carried out by No Fibs claimed 85% of local people were opposed to Cuadrilla's operation in the village.
Katy Dunne, who lives in Balcombe and organised the survey, said: "We spoke to every household in the village and the overwhelming majority of people who live in Balcombe don't want fracking.
"We've done petitions, over 800 of us responded to the Environment Agency's consultation, the parish council has come out against and now we can say with confidence that the residents don't want it.
"We've been backed into a corner and we now feel we have no option but to take matters into own own hands and protect our village."
Vanessa Vine, from Frack Free Sussex, said any future fracking would be "a violation of our geology that could threaten our water, fresh air and our children".
Friends of the Earth spokeswoman Brenda Pollack said: "It threatens their environment and quality of life and will mean more climate-changing emissions are pumped into the atmosphere.
"And there's plenty of evidence that it won't lead to cheaper fuel bills."
On Friday, two protesters were arrested on suspicion of assaulting police.
Sussex Police said an officer was punched and kicked by a woman who claimed she was 14, but turned out to be a 19-year-old from Portsmouth.
A 22-year-old man from Bexhill was also arrested after a police officer was hit in the face with a placard, officers said.
Six people were arrested on Thursday after protesters blocked the site entrance with an antique fire engine.
More than 30 people have been arrested since last Friday, mainly on suspicion of obstructing deliveries, including the daughter of Kinks star Ray Davies and Pretenders singer Chrissie Hynde, Natalie Hynde.
The 30-year-old glued herself to her boyfriend, veteran environmental activist Simon "Sitting Bull" Medhurst, 55, to form a "human lock" at the site entrance on Wednesday.
Cuadrilla said drilling started at 11:15 BST on Friday. Spokesman Matt Lambert said: "We have had a significant amount of disruption from protesters and the police have been dealing with that in the proper way.
"They have a perfect right to make their point of view known."
The firm has said it would need fresh permission to carry out fracking.


Middlesex's John Simpson hit a six with two balls remaining to seal a thrilling two-wicket win over Somerset in County Championship Division One.

Set 302 to win from 46 overs at Taunton, Middlesex needed eight from the last and Simpson lofted Jim Allenby over long leg to finish 79 not out.
Nick Gubbins contributed 76 and James Fuller smashed 36 from only 18 balls.
Somerset, 348-6 overnight, earlier declared on 446-9 to give Middlesex an invitation they were happy to accept.
The visitors, who began the game with a one-point lead at the top of County Championship Division One, extended it to 14 points because of Warwickshire's draw with Hampshire and Lancashire's week off.
The catalyst for victory came from Fuller, who took three wickets in the morning session then provided acceleration to the run chase.
With 109 needed from nine overs, Fuller, who had survived a loud appeal for caught behind off Tim Groenewald, hit the same bowler for successive sixes over extra cover in an over that cost 22.
His onslaught jolted Simpson into life, with the wicketkeeper taking up the chase after Fuller and Ollie Rayner fell in the same Jack Leach over.
Allenby was given the responsibility of the final over and with six needed from four balls, Simpson swept a leg-stump delivery over the longest boundary on the ground.
It completed a remarkable chase, one that Middlesex looked to have abandoned after Sam Robson, Dawid Malan, Gubbins and George Bailey fell in quick succession, all four to Groenewald, who finished with 5-90.
A sedate passage with Simpson and James Franklin at the crease followed, but Fuller arrived to make things happen, just as he had with the ball in the morning session.
He took all three wickets to fall before lunch, including Peter Trego, who made 138, for figures of 3-125.
Middlesex were held up by last-wicket pair Leach and Groenewald until midway through the afternoon, when Somerset captain Chris Rogers declared.
It led to a thrilling climax, with all four results possible until Simpson, on his 28th birthday, struck the decisive blow.


A theatre which saw a £6m redevelopment delayed by archaeological work is to reopen to the public.

The Grade II listed York Theatre Royal closed in March 2015 and had planned to resume performances last December.
That date had to be put back after the foundations of the medieval St Leonard's Hospital were found intact beneath the main main auditorium.
The York Conservation Trust, which owns the theatre, said the scheme meant improved access and flexibility.
Its main stage has been reconstructed in a modular form, allowing it to be adapted or removed entirely, which means the venue is now more suitable for touring productions and dance companies.
It is the first significant change to the 270-year-old theatre since a concrete and glass extension was built in 1967.
The project was funded by the Arts Council England, City of York Council and York Conservation Trust with other grants and donations coming from corporate and individual supporters.
A public fundraising campaign also raised around £215,000 towards the costs of the redevelopment.


It's one of the largest dinosaur footprints ever discovered, believed to belong to a Titanosaur.

Measuring over a metre long, this whopper of a footprint is estimated to date back around 70 million years.
Scientists from Okayama University of Science say it will give them "new clues about these huge giant creatures that roamed the earth millions of years ago."
There have been other discoveries of this size in the past but this particular one is very well preserved with three clear claw marks.
TITANOSAUR FACTS
A joint expedition made this most recent discovery in August, where it was found in a layer of rock formed between 70 million and 90 million years ago.
Experts reckon the Titanosaur species could be the largest land animal ever to be discovered.
Although no full skeleton has ever been found in the Gobi desert, in 2014 one was discovered in Argentina with a replica now on display at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.


The futuristic world portrayed in The Machine Stops is an eerily familiar one - people mostly communicate with each other via screens, the rarity of face-to-face interaction has rendered it awkward, and knowledge and ideas are only shared by a system that links every home.

Yet that world was imagined not by a contemporary writer but by the Edwardian author Edward Morgan Forster.
Best known for his novels about class and hypocrisy - Howards End, A Room With A View and A Passage To India - The Machine Stops was Forster's only foray into science fiction.
Published in 1909, it tells the story of a mother and son - Vashti and Kuno - who live in a post-apocalyptic world where people live individually in underground pods, described as being "like the cell of a bee", and have their needs provided for by the all-encompassing Machine.
It is a world where travel is rare, inhabitants communicate via video screens, and people have become so reliant on the Machine that they have begun to worship it as a living entity.
Neil Duffield, who adapted the story for York Theatre Royal's stage, says it is "quite extraordinary" how much modern technology it predicts - and how sharply it observes the effects it will have on users.
"He predicts the internet in the days before even radio was a mass medium.
"It would have all seemed so far-fetched back in that time, when people weren't even used to telephones - and that makes it more relevant now than it was in his time - he was anticipating technology like the internet and Skype.
"And he predicts, with astonishing accuracy, the effect the technology has on our relations with one another, with our bodies, with our philosophy and culture.
"It's a warning for now for what we might be getting ourselves into."
The play's director, Juliet Forster (no relation), brought the story to Duffield for him to turn into a play.
She says she became enthralled by it in the late 1980s and "year on year, it's gained more and more relevance".
"It's so eerily true and resonant. Very quickly I thought it was something that could be very interesting. Although he predicts all that technology, what's more interesting is how human beings react to it - that's what fascinates me.
"Forster had such insight into human nature and the way we would adapt and lose parts of ourselves through technology.
"It asks the question about how far we will go in allowing technology to be the thing that we rely on in order to function."
The University of Manchester's Dr Howard Booth, a Forster expert, says that though the story is fascinating, it is those insights into human nature it offers that are more important than the predictions of technology.
"People read it and say 'look, this is somebody over 100 years ago that seems to have imagined the world of the internet and the smart phone and many of the issues that we are addressing about people living their lives through technology and not looking up and seeing the world around'.
"I would put that not in terms of him being some sort of great futurologist - the technology in The Machine Stops doesn't look like our technology - but in a long-standing tradition that he knew well, which questioned industrialisation and technology and the way it was starting to reach into the mind.
"So he didn't see the machines of our day, but he was starting to see the issues that are involved - that what is there to supposedly aid and help us to perform certain tasks may actually become what we start to live through, need and be unable to imagine being without."
Duffield agrees the story's real interest lies in what it reveals about human nature.
"It's a very personal story, there's only two main characters - a mother and her son - who communicate by what we would know as Skype," he says.
"That is central to the story, their very personal relationship, and the real genius of the piece is that he manages to explore the whole impact on society of that sort of technology through just two characters."
And with themes discussing, as the play's director puts it, "the relationship between the material and the spiritual", it reveals how it links with the author's more familiar works.
"As a genre, it's not like Forster's work, but actually, the themes are recurrent across all of his writing.
"The drama between restriction and freedom. The trying to balance your physical nature and your spiritual. The need to connect across all classes and peoples.
"All those things are in there that you find in his other work, but written in such a totally different world to what you might expect."
Dr Booth says while the work is Forster's only overtly sci-fi story, the 12,000 word piece is "quite similar to many of his short stories, which do often have a fantasy element to them".
"He did often when writing short stories take on a kind of science fiction - A Celestial Omnibus, for example, imagines going up to heaven and meeting writers there.
"From Merchant Ivory [who made the film adaptations of A Room With A View and Howards End], we have a certain image of Forster, but actually the themes of The Machine Stops are Forster's themes."
And the academic also has an answer for why Forster decided to write a sci-fi story.
"There are a number of things that are coming to a head in 1908. One is that he's thinking more about religion - that doesn't mean orthodox Christianity, but a sense of the spiritual, of a contact with the natural world, and he thinks that things in modern life are getting in the way of that.
"And those problems in modern life are also stopping people connecting with each other.
"He's also reacting against a euphoric view of science and progress, which amongst the writers of the time, he associates in particular with HG Wells. And there's one very specific spur, which is an aircraft flight by a French aviator called Henri Farman, who was the first person to take a heavier-than-air aircraft - not an airship or a balloon - and do a circuit and land.
"Unlike the Wright brothers, who take off and bump back to earth, this was the first time people had shown you could have air travel and navigate the aircraft.
"That may seem a small thing to us, but to Forster, that suggested we were very much on the edge of a machine-like world.
"He feared machines taking over, which is what The Machine Stops is all about - people losing their connection with life and the world and starting to live through machines instead."
The Machine Stops is at York Theatre Royal until 4 June.


Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez says the Championship title race is far from decided, despite Tuesday's 2-1 win against fellow contenders Brighton.

Ayoze Perez scored a late winner as the Magpies moved two points clear of Albion at the top.
Benitez's side have won four and drawn three of their past seven games in the second tier.
"I said before this was just an important game but we have to play a lot of them," Benitez said.
"It's three points but there are lots of games and lots of points."
The Spaniard said that April would be the crucial month of the campaign in the build up to Tuesday's game, and his opinion was unaffected despite a key win against their nearest challengers.
Newcastle scored twice in the final 10 minutes to snatch the points on the south coast, as Mohamed Diame and substitute Perez completed a comeback after Glenn Murray's spot-kick put the hosts ahead.
"You could see we needed to change little bit to get more impact," said Benitez, who sent on striker Daryl Murphy before Diame's equaliser.
"It gave us fresh legs and different movements, but I was pleased with the players that had been on the field."


(Close): London's leading shares dipped in Monday morning trading, indicating that an eight-day run of gains might be coming to an end.

At closing, the benchmark FTSE 100 index was down 44.98 points, or 0.7%, at 6,371.18.
Aerospace firm Rolls-Royce led the downward trend, shedding 4.2% after media reports of an inquiry into the EU's airline maintenance market.
However, British Airways owner IAG rose 1.19% on a broker upgrade.
Mining giant Glencore began the session as the 100-share index's biggest gainer after it said it had started the sales process for two of its copper mines.
Shares in Glencore initially jumped 1.55% on the news that the mines, in Australia and Chile, were up for sale, but at close, they were down 6.2%.
Glencore is attempting to reduce $30bn (£19.5bn) of debt created by its 2013 takeover of Xstrata.
Against the dollar, the pound was 0.22% higher at $1.5350 and gained 0.19% against the euro to €1.3500.


"Bogside Republicans never retire," a defiant but tearful Martin McGuinness told his supporters.

It was the night he called time on his political career.
He was surrounded by family and friends outside his home in the area of Londonderry where he had spent most of his life - three streets away from where he was born.
He never travelled far from his roots but his political journey took him far beyond the comfort of the Bogside.
From directing IRA gunmen in Derry, to wearing tails in Windsor Castle at a banquet for the Queen.
From standing in Derry on Bloody Sunday when soldiers shot dead 13 people, to bowing his head at the Somme war graves.
Along the way he struck up the most unlikely friendship with the man who once branded him a "bloodthirsty monster" - Ian Paisley.
Away from the glare of the press he also struck up friendships with relatives who lost loved ones at the hands of the IRA.
But no matter how far he reached out, for some he will always be an IRA commander who brought his dark secrets to the grave
For many unionists Martin McGuinness's fingerprints are all over the Troubles - a man who did not become an IRA leader without getting his hands dirty.
For republicans, his fingerprints are all over the peace process and Sinn FÃ©in's steady rise in the polls, which brought them to within 1,000 votes of being the largest party at Stormont.
But Sinn FÃ©in's one-time chief negotiator always found his toughest negotiation was with his own people.
And especially in his home city where he faced threats from dissident republicans and his family were verbally abused on the street because of the decisions he made.
He did not have to travel far from his front door to see it.
On a wall at the bottom of his street, dissident republicans regularly daub graffiti attacking their former comrades who now sit at Stormont.
Martin McGuinness was not able to bring those republicans with him on his journey, instead he labelled them "traitors to the island of Ireland".
But he was able to disarm his political foes and fiercest critics.
He achieved that with a personal charm which struck a chord with those he met - not least with Ian Paisley, who declared that Martin McGuinness should be thanked for saving lives and making the lives of people in Northern Ireland better.
It was a big statement that caught many by surprise, but not those who had fallen victim to McGuinness' charm.
He was communicator who knew how to connect.
His Twitter account steered clear of controversy and was littered with commiserations and congratulations.
According to his staff, he often took detours on the way home from Belfast after spotting a death notice in the Irish News.
Martin McGuinness knew the value of building personal relationships beneath the political radar and that allowed him to move well beyond the republican comfort zone.
But it was fitting that he returned to the comfort of the Bogside, for what was his last public appearance, standing outside the home where he returned every night, and from where his final journey will begin later this week.


More than five years after a six-year-old boy died in hospital, his family have received an apology and damages from the hospitals that cared for him.

Daniel Hunt died at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital on 1 January 2011, after having been transferred from Blackpool Victoria Hospital.
A 2012 coroner's report called Daniel's treatment "unsafe, untimely, ineffective and inefficient".
The hospitals have apologised and paid a "five-figure sum" to his parents.
The letter sent to the Hunt family, of Thornton-Cleveleys in Lancashire, by the chief executives of both hospitals said it is "a matter of deep regret" that Daniel's death was not prevented.
The risk that Daniel "might experience a life threatening and sudden deterioration was not appreciated to the extent that it ought to have been," it said.
A joint statement from both hospitals said investigations "concluded that additional steps could have been taken during the course of his admission to both hospitals to further stabilise and improve his condition".
Daniel suffered from Lowe Syndrome which can affect kidney function and body fluid levels.
Diane Rostron, the specialist medical solicitor who represented the family, said Blackpool Victoria children's unit were aware of Daniel's condition and complications that can arise.
He was admitted after being sick at home but staff did not recognise his deteriorating condition, she said.
And there were delays in transferring him to Manchester, where there was a failure to escalate his treatment.
Ms Rostron said the Hunts did not want to sue the hospitals but were forced to because they would not accept any responsibility for their son's death.
After initially denying substandard care, the hospitals admitted liability in October before the first court hearing was due to take place.
Graham Hunt said: "I didn't think for one moment I'd be taking my son in and not bringing him out for something that would have been treatable with the proper people to look after him - and they didn't," he said.
Ms Rostron said: "The simple fact is, this was an avoidable death."
"It has heaped insult on top of injury... they should have admitted this as soon as the coroner's inquest was concluded.
"As every day has gone by the parents have been caused increasing amounts of pain."


The head of Australia's stock exchange Elmer Funke-Kupper has resigned amid allegations of bribery at a betting company he used to run.

He's also taken a leave of absence from the board of Tabcorp, Australia's biggest bookmaker, and the company under investigation.
Tabcorp allegedly paid Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's family as part of its expansion efforts.
Last week, Mr Funke-Kupper said he had no memory of the payment.
Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) chairman Rick Holliday-Smith will become the bourse's interim chief executive until a replacement is found.
"The ASX Board accepted that Elmer wanted to direct his full focus to the investigations which may be made into the Tabcorp matter - and not have them interfere with the important role of leading the ASX," Mr Holliday-Smith said in a statement.
Mr Funke-Kupper was chief executive at Tabcorp from 2007 to 2011.
The allegations centre on a A$200,000 (Â£105,000;$151,000) payment to Cambodia in early 2010.
Tabcorp had reportedly been looking into entering Cambodia's lucrative online gaming business ahead of the 2010 Fifa World Cup but has since abandoned the effort.
In an interview with Australia's Fairfax media last week, Mr Funke-Kupper said he had no memory of the payment and that he had no intention of resigning from the ASX, which he joined in October 2011.


A High Court judge may be called in to decide if a Stormont committee should be given a full copy of a report into the conduct of a DUP special adviser.

It follows the refusal of Social Development Minister Mervyn Storey to hand over the document without any of it being blanked out.
The Social Development Committee met in closed session to discuss the impasse on Thursday.
It is believed they decided third party mediation may provide a way forward.
The plan would involve the minister agreeing to hand the report to a judge appointed by the Lord Chief Justice.
The judge would then decide whether or not the committee should be given the document in un-redacted form.
It is understood the committee agreed to its chairman, Alex Maskey of Sinn FÃ©in, meeting Mr Storey to propose the idea.
However, no formal vote on the plan was taken as Mr Maskey did not want the committee to "divide."
So far there has been no official comment from the committee, but it is believed the idea was proposed by the TUV leader Jim Allister.
Last week, the minister gave the committee a copy of the report into the conduct of the adviser, Stephen Brimstone.
It was carried out by civil servants, but its findings had remained secret for 18 months amid allegations it had been "buried".
The report recommended a formal disciplinary investigation into Mr Brimstone's behaviour.
But a series of other conclusions and recommendations were concealed.
One source said it would be up to the judge to decide the "relevancy" of the parts of the report that have up to now been hidden.
The committee has been investigating allegations of political interference in the Housing Executive.
They were raised in a BBC Spotlight programme in 2013.
It is claimed Mr Brimstone ordered a DUP councillor to change the way she intended to vote at a Housing Executive Board meeting.
The BBC has learned that Mr Storey sent a letter to Mr Maskey on Wednesday afternoon.
It is understood the minister has legal advice telling him he does not have to comply any further with the committee's demand.


A lane of the A55 which was closed for 38 hours after a chemical spill in Conwy county has reopened.

The expressway was shut at about 11:00 GMT on Tuesday after 27,000 litres (6,000 gallons) leaked from a tanker between Colwyn Bay and Llanddulas.
The incident caused severe delays as specialist teams were brought in to help with the clean up.
Traffic Wales said the westbound carriageway reopened at about 01:00 on Thursday.


A man and woman have died following a two car crash in South Ayrshire.

Police said a grey Rover car collided with a silver Citroen Despatch on the A70, near to Roodlea Golf Course, Coylton, at about 01:10 on Sunday.
The 21-year-old woman who was driving the Rover, and her 29-year-old male passenger, died at the scene.
The driver and passenger of the Citroen are in a stable condition at Ayr Hospital. Police Scotland have appealed for witnesses.


England were beaten 24-14 by Fiji in the third-place play-off as hosts New Zealand won the Wellington round of the Sevens World Series.

Alex Gray and Tom Mitchell scored tries for England, who were beaten 25-5 by New Zealand in the semi-final.
The Kiwis came from 21-7 down to beat South Africa 24-21 in the final, Joe Webber going over with the last touch.
Scotland lost 19-7 to Samoa in the Bowl final between the teams who finish third and fourth in their groups.
New Zealand, who claimed a hat-trick of Wellington titles, featured two-time World Cup-winner Sonny Bill Williams, who scored a try with his first touch on his rugby sevens debut in a 38-7 win over Russia on Saturday.
He said: "I'm privileged to be playing with such great players, I've got a lot to work on and it's a learning curve, but I'm just glad to be doing it with these guys."
The 30-year-old has committed to the New Zealand sevens team with the aim of playing at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
Despite their defeat in Wellington, South Africa top the overall World Series standings after reaching the final.
They are two points clear of Fiji, with New Zealand in third place and England are fourth.
England coach Simon Amor said: "The boys gave it their all this weekend.  They didn't quite get it right in attack in those final two games but we have a young team out here and it has been an amazing experience for them playing against two incredibly physical sides, I'm proud of them."


The steroids used by ex-Premier League players Carlos Tevez, Dirk Kuyt and Gabriel Heinze during the 2010 World Cup should be completely banned, says Fifa's former chief medical officer.

Tevez, Kuyt and Heinze were among 25 players able to take banned medicines in South Africa after being given therapeutic use exemptions (TUEs).
But Professor Jiri Dvorak says glucocorticoids cause long-term damage.
He told BBC Sport use of the steroid "should be stopped - full stop".
Glucocorticoids are commonly used to treat inflammation, joint pain, asthma and skin problems such as eczema.
They are prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada), but athletes can ask for a TUE depending on how the substance will be administered.
Dvorak, who left Fifa in 2016 after 22 years, was governed by those guidelines but said "as a physician" he believes glucocorticoids should not be permitted under any circumstances.
It is not clear why Tevez and Heinze used the steroid betamethasone during the World Cup, but it is thought Kuyt was given dexamethasone for tooth pain.
There is no suggestion any of the footballers have done anything wrong.
In a statement to BBC Sport, Fifa said it has "a clear, robust and stringent policy in place" concerning TUEs.
World football's governing body added: "This policy is applied strictly to avoid any abuse and ensure the process of granting TUEs is the same for all players."
On Tuesday, hackers Fancy Bears made public the list of TUEs issued at the 2010 World Cup.
As well as then Manchester City forward Tevez, ex-Liverpool winger Kuyt and one-time Manchester United defender Heinze, a group of players from Argentina, Netherlands and Germany were also reportedly given permission to use the banned substances.
Dvorak has no concerns about those exemptions, but acknowledges the decision to prescribe any drugs is subjective.
"We had quite a strict process," he said. "We required full documentation to support the application, including medical documents. There were justified medical declarations to support the exemptions.
"We were happy everything was declared. But sometimes it depends on how the doctor is feeling whether he prescribes the steroids.
"I was always warning about the use of them and trying to educate people."
Glucocorticoids can be used to treat a range of ailments - including for pain relief or inflammation - and can be injected into a joint or administered via pills or creams.
They differ from anabolic steroids, which can be used by some athletes and body-builders to improve performance.
But steroids can weaken the immune system and thin cartilage, and there is also a risk of infection from injections.
Dvorak, now senior consultant in neurology at the Schulthess Clinic in Zurich, says they must be taken seriously.
"It is a very potent drug, there can be serious side-effects," he said. "They can cover the symptoms but it is the long-term effect I am concerned about.
"At the moment, with an application for use, they are allowed. As a physician I am against glucocorticoids - their use should be stopped - full stop. The lesson is not being learnt."
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In 2010, players could either seek a TUE, for the manner of administrating a substance not directly on the prohibited list, or a declaration of use (DoU) when an exemption from a doctor was required.
Now, TUEs are required for both banned substances and methods of administration.
Dvorak, who has warned in the past about the overuse of legal painkillers in sport, said he has confidence in Fifa's systems.
"I don't think Fifa has changed the process since I left, so I am not worried that the system is being abused. When I look at other sports, like athletics and tournaments like the Olympics, compared to World Cups, we had far fewer TUEs in football."
A report by Canadian law professor and sports lawyer Dr Richard McLaren, published in December 2016, claimed Russian footballers were among more than 1,000 sportspeople to benefit from a state-sponsored doping programme between 2011 and 2015.
And Dvorak admits there may be some discrepancies in the different systems used around the world.
"Some anti-doping committees are not so stringent," he said.
"There are many good national anti-doping bodies - like the Swiss and UK bodies - which are of a really high quality. But there are some countries in Asia or Africa that don't have such good processes, they don't have the resources or the experience."


The Scottish government has announced plans to reduce the country's drink-drive limit in time for Christmas.

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill has taken steps which, if approved by the Scottish Parliament, would mean a new limit being introduced on 5 December.
Under the plans, Scotland's blood alcohol limit would be cut from 80mg to 50mg in every 100ml of blood.
It would mean the legal limit in Scotland would be lower than in England - where the limit is 80mg in blood.
The UK Department of Transport said there were no plans to alter the drink drive limit south of the border.
In practice the change in Scotland could mean a glass of wine or a pint of beer would put a driver over the legal limit.
Draft legislation has been laid before parliament, and will bring Scotland's legal alcohol limits in line with much of Europe.
A public awareness campaign will warn drivers not to drink at all.
Mr MacAskill said drinking and driving shattered families and communities, and that it was time to take action to reduce the risk on the country's roads.
He told BBC Scotland the plans to change the drink-drive limit had "broad support".
The justice secretary said: "The support comes not just from the police and law enforcement. It comes from those involved in road safety."
Asked why the government didn't simply apply a zero tolerance approach, Mr MacAskill said: "There are reasons why individuals may have alcohol in their system. It is also quite clear at the 50 (mg) limit, that is when impairment begins to kick in."
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) welcomed the move, and called for the rest of the UK to follow suit.
The drink-drive limit in the UK is currently 80mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood.
However - like Scotland - the limit in Northern Ireland could be reduced from 80mg in blood to 50mg as part of proposals included in the Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill.
The bill is currently being considered by the Northern Ireland Assembly and could become law by early next year.
A 50mg limit would mean an average man would be limited to just under a pint of beer or a large glass of wine and women to half a pint of beer or a small glass of wine.
Sandy Allan, Rospa's Road Safety Manager in Scotland, said he believed the move would save lives and prevent injuries on Scotland's roads.
He added: "There is a considerable body of research which shows that reducing drink drive limits is effective in reducing drink-drive deaths and injuries. We would like to see the rest of the UK follow Scotland's example."
When asked about why a joint approach with the Westminster government on the issue was not agreed, Mr MacAskill said: "We did seek that, but it was the United Kingdom government that decided not to lower the limit despite, I think, a great deal of public support for it being lowered down there."
The latest estimates are that approximately one in 10 deaths on Scottish roads involve drivers who are over the legal limit.
Research has suggested that just one alcoholic drink before driving can make you three times as likely to be involved in a fatal car crash.
However, speaking on BBC Radio Scotland, George Goldie from the Institute of Advanced Motorists, said he did not believe the change would improve road safety and he questioned the motivation behind it saying it would "increase income" gathered from fines.
He added: "We have very few statistics, if any, to show how many accidents are caused by people who are marginally over the limit. Most of the accidents are caused by people who are blatantly blitzed.
"I'm much more concerned about improving driving, as opposed to improving the one in 10. I am much, much more interested in improving the nine in 10."
According to UK-wide figures from the Department of Transport, there were an estimated 6,680 road accidents involving illegal alcohol levels in 2012, making drink driving a factor in 4% of all accidents.
In 2012, an estimated 230 people were killed in drink drive accidents in the UK - accounting for 13% of all reported road fatalities. These are the most up-to-date figures available.
UK Road Safety Minister Robert Goodwill said tackling drink driving was a priority for the government at Westminster.
He said ministers were "strengthening enforcement" by removing the automatic right for drivers who failed a breathalyser test to demand a blood test and by introducing mobile evidential breath testing equipment next year.
However, he added: "We have no plans to alter the drink drive limit."
The Scottish government previously announced its intention to reduce the limit following a consultation which found that almost three quarters of those who responded backed the move.


Cherry Jones - known to TV fans as President Allison Taylor in drama series 24 - is hitting the London stage in Tennessee Williams classic The Glass Menagerie.

She says she's split between loving the play and wanting to be back home at a politically crucial time in the US.
Jones played President Taylor in two series of 24, from 2009 to 2010. Many saw a distinct suggestion of Hillary Clinton in her appearance and characterisation.
But the actress says none of that gave her an extra reason to back Clinton in last November's US presidential elections.
"I didn't need any extra anything," she told the BBC. "We were all doing everything we could to support Hillary, and keep at bay the darkness that has now descended over America because of our own ignorance and arrogance.
"We are in this moment self-destructing. Even in the Vietnam War, we haven't seen people mobilise the way they're mobilising now."
Jones, one of America's most respected stage actresses, stars alongside her countryman Michael Esper in Williams' intense family drama.
Both are as happy to talk about politics as The Glass Menagerie, a production seen at last year's Edinburgh Festival that is now running in London's West End.
Esper, a 40 year-old New Yorker, recently appeared in London in the David Bowie musical Lazarus.
"When I was here before the election, people initially thought Donald Trump was almost funny and often they'd treat him as a harmless joke," he told the BBC.
"I think now reality has set in. America now has a president who's a constituency of one.
"For me Trump represents the worst of America, while Tennessee Williams was a creative genius Americans should be proud of. So it's a delight to be in the play."
Williams wrote The Glass Menagerie in 1944. A Streetcar Named Desire and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof later brought him money and worldwide fame, but his early "memory play" had been an extraordinary achievement for a young writer.
"Tennessee was a poet, a rebel and a gay man," says Jones. "He was a unique talent and chose his own path.
"He's influenced other writers, but I don't think anyone has ever quite been like him."
Esper's role of Tom is usually seen as a self-portrait by the playwright, whose real first name was Thomas.
"The extraordinary thing about the way the lines and the structure work is they don't feel almost three-quarters of a century old," he says.
"His humour and the moments of lyricism feel contemporary. The four characters on stage relate in a way which still means something today."
Jones too is full of admiration for Williams the writer.
"For instance, he sets up superbly the arrival of the 'Gentleman Caller' in the second part of the play, who my character hopes will marry her daughter.
"And when he arrives there's so much humour and emotion that the audience is laughing one moment and then suddenly dead silent.
"At the risk of sounding like a flatterer, British audiences seem good at listening and picking up the nuances of what's being said."
Esper, though, says there has been a downside to his extended stay east of the Atlantic.
"Part of me feels I really want to be back in my community and being part of the protest against Trump.
"You can't say we need to sit back and just bide our time while he's in office."
"Most of the people I know have taken an incredibly activist stance and that's exactly the right thing," Esper continues.
"Certainly I had no love for Ronald Reagan, but as president I think he had respect for the tenets of democracy.
"Donald Trump is already violating the constitution and destroying the country and humiliating us internationally."
Jones has long been open about being a lesbian. So is she anxious about President Trump's views on homosexuality?
In America some gay people have expressed fears about policies which might be put forward.
"Who knows what may emerge?" says the 60-year-old. "But for now, Donald Trump seems to have a ton of gay friends he's okay with - especially if they're white and gay.
"My worry is what would happen if he were indicted or impeached or gotten rid of. Then we'd have [vice president] Mike Pence in charge, and he tried to pass bills [as governor] in the state of Indiana which were just outrageous.
"If Pence were in the White House I would worry about policies relating to gay people."
"It's wonderful we're appearing in a work by one of America's greatest gay writers," Jones continues. "But like Michael, part of me feels a traitor for being away and enjoying myself.
"At the end of the run, I look forward to going back and getting to work."
The Glass Menagerie is at the Duke of York's Theatre in London until 29 April.
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Cat owners in Swansea have been given a "worrying" warning by the RSPCA that animals in their area being declawed.

South Wales Police has instructed its community support officers to be aware of the spate of the "illegal" cat attacks around Gorseinon.
Tigger is the latest victim and his paw has become infected, which has angered owner Nicola Lewis.
"I can't believe someone would do something like this," said the 33-year-old. "I'm furious."
The RSPCA is investigating the "deeply worrying and disturbing reports" and has made a public appeal for further information.
"Declawing a cat is an illegal act which is classified as mutilation," said Keith Hogben, an inspector at the animal cruelty charity.
Ms Lewis only realised Tigger had fallen victim to the attacker after reading a warning on Facebook telling owners in the area to check the paws of their cats.
"I thought I had better check my cat and I discovered one of his claws was missing," she said.
"Then a few days later there was blood on the floor and it looks like the paw has become infected.
"My friend said the same thing had happened to her cat."


A consultancy firm run by a prominent Scottish Tory has signed agreements to deliver environmental projects in Karachi worth nearly $1bn (£640m).

Richard Cook, chief executive of Cook Consulting (UK) Ltd, signed memoranda of understanding (MoU) with Pakistani officials this week.
The signing ceremony took place at Glasgow City Chambers in the presence of the governor of Sindh province.
Mr Cook is a former vice-chairman of the Scottish Conservatives.
Under one of the agreements, Cook Consulting - along with Canadian firm Sentinel Waste International and USA-based Aeromix Systems Inc - undertook to work with the Port Qasim Authority to develop drinking water production facilities through desalination.
It aims to produce 97 million gallons a day of drinking water, and involves estimated total capital investment of $775m.
A similar agreement was signed with Karachi Water and Sewerage Board to develop a desalination plant, with an estimated investment of about $85m.
Another MoU was signed with Karachi Port Trust, targeting treatment of 60 million gallons a day of waste water, with an estimated capital investment to Pakistan of $100m. In that project, Cook Consulting is being partnered by Northamptonshire firm Point Green Limited.
Mr Cook said: "These projects will be extremely significant in developing an infrastructure in Karachi which provides its population with significant environmental and health benefits."
Mr Cook is a prominent figure in Scottish Conservatives circle, having stood as a parliamentary candidate in several elections - most recently in the Westminster seat of East Renfrewshire in 2010.


The US government has said that it should have sent "someone with a higher profile" to Sunday's Paris unity rally.

It comes after US media criticised President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry for not attending the demonstration.
The rally, which followed three terror attacks in Paris, was attended by an estimated 1.6 million people and some 40 world leaders.
The US ambassador to France was the highest ranking US official attending.
Speaking on Monday, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said President Obama wished he could have attended, but the "onerous and significant" security preparations for a presidential visit required more than the 36-hour advance notice the White House received.
He added, however: "It's fair to say that we should have sent someone with a higher profile."
Seventeen people died in attacks in Paris last week at a satirical magazine, on a police officer, and at a kosher supermarket.
Mr Kerry told reporters in India he would visit France to reaffirm US solidarity with the country, which he called America's oldest ally.
A fluent French speaker, he has visited the country 17 times since becoming secretary of state.
Among those linking arms in a symbolic gesture at the Paris march were UK Prime Minister David Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
US Attorney General Eric Holder, in Paris for an anti-terror summit, did not attend the march because he was giving media interviews.
Mr Kerry was visiting India, for an international development trip, and Pakistan to meet Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
"I would have personally very much wanted to have been there," Mr Kerry said, but "it is important to keep these kinds of commitments".
Mr Kerry said US officials, including himself and Mr Obama, had been "deeply engaged" with French authorities since the first attack and had offered intelligence assistance.
"I want to emphasise that the relationship with France is not about one day or one particular moment," Mr Kerry said.
"It is an ongoing long-time relationship that is deeply, deeply based in the shared values, and particularly the commitment that we share to freedom of expression."
Mr Kerry is expected to arrive in Paris later this week.
Meanwhile, the White House announced there would be an international summit in Washington in February on countering violent extremism.


Downing Street has denied that the PM's spokesman warned a newspaper against running a critical story on the culture secretary's expenses because of her role in enacting the Leveson proposals.

No 10 said: "We don't accept threats have been made."
It is understood spokesman Craig Oliver phoned the Daily Telegraph's editor after his paper wrote a story about Maria Miller's expense claims.
He reportedly told him the story was poorly timed.
Mr Oliver is alleged, by the Daily Telegraph, to have told the editor, Tony Gallagher, that Mrs Miller was "looking at Leveson at the moment".
Twenty-four hours earlier, Mrs Miller's special adviser Joanna Hindley called the  reporter working on the story to "flag up" the culture secretary's role in drawing up new press regulation rules, following Lord Justice Leveson's inquiry into media ethics.
A No 10 spokesman defended Mr Oliver's intervention and rejected suggestions he - or Mrs Miller's  adviser - were seeking to influence the paper against pursuing the story.
They said Mr Oliver was simply raising "concerns" with the newspaper about the way the story was being pursued and the fact Mrs Miller's "elderly father had been door-stepped" by a reporter.
The spokesman added: "The secretary of state had some concerns about the way that investigation was being conducted and Craig Oliver was simply reflecting those concerns."
Labour MP John Mann has written to John Lyon, Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, after it emerged Mrs Miller had allowed her parents to live at a property on which she claimed Â£90,718 in second home allowances during the last parliament.
Mrs Miller has said her expenses were "absolutely in order" and "in complete accordance with the rules".
Her parents, John and June Lewis, have apparently been living at the property since selling their home in Wales in 1996.
According to the Telegraph, Miss Hindley told its reporter: "Maria has obviously been having quite a lot of editors' meetings around Leveson at the moment. So I am just going to kind of flag up that connection for you to think about."
Brian Cathcart, executive director of Hacked Off, which is campaigning for the setting up of an independent press regulator via a change in the law, said: "This story illustrates exactly why ministers must be kept at arm's length from the regulation of the press.
"It cannot be right that politicians who are subject to the scrutiny of the newspapers and who are constantly vulnerable to public challenge in this way are sitting down with editors and proprietors of those same newspapers to design a press regulation system."
A Department for Culture, Media and Sport spokesman said: "Mrs Miller's special adviser raised concerns with a journalist about the nature of an approach to Mrs Miller's elderly father. Her adviser noted that Mrs Miller was in regular contact with the paper's editor and would raise her concerns directly with him, which Mrs Miller did subsequently.
"However, this is a separate issue to ongoing discussions about press regulation. Mrs Miller has made the government's position on this clear."


A 15-year-old girl has been taken to hospital after taking an unknown drug, believed to be a type of amphetamine.

Police said they received a report that the girl, from Dukinfield, Tameside, Greater Manchester, had been admitted to hospital at about 22:50 BST on Friday.
She is believed to have suffered a bad reaction after possibly taking a drug known as Magic, police said.
She remains in hospital where her condition is described as stable.


Three Mexican federal police officers and two soldiers have been ordered to stand trial on charges of torture.

The five are accused of torturing a woman who was detained in the southern state of Guerrero last year.
The case gained notoriety when a video showing the officers putting a plastic bag over the woman's head and pointing a rifle at her head was published on social media earlier this month.
In a separate case, an army general has been sentenced to 52 years for torture.
The unnamed general had ordered that a suspect held in Chihuahua state in July 2008 be tied up and receive electric shocks, according to the Federal Judicial Council.
After the interrogation, concerning a soldier's death, the suspect died.
Pressure groups say Mexican security forces "routinely" use torture.
Officials from Mexico's security ministry said the video of the torture in Guerrero state was genuine and showed an incident in the town of Ajuchitlan del Progreso on 4 February 2015.
It shows a female soldier placing a plastic bag over a handcuffed female suspect's head and holding it tight to cut off the suspect's air supply.
A female police officers can be seen pointing a rifle at her head.
"Are you going to talk?" the soldier asks the suspect. "Have you remembered yet? Answer me, who is Maria?"
As the suspect almost loses consciousness, the soldier can be heard calling her "an old drama queen".
The security ministry said it had become aware of the case in December and that the officers in question had been arrested in January.
Human rights groups have long denounced what they say is a "routine" use of torture by the Mexican security forces.
A 2014 Amnesty International report said that complaints about the use of torture had increased by 600% in the 10 years to 2013.
According to the report, 64% of Mexicans are afraid of being tortured if taken into custody.


Russia says its warplanes have bombed Islamic State (IS) positions around the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra.

A fortification, an underground bunker and anti-aircraft guns were destroyed in strikes by Su-25 jets, according to a defence ministry statement.
Activists said the air strikes targeted the area around a reconstructed 13th Century castle perched on a hilltop to the west of Palmyra's Roman-era ruins.
The activists added it was difficult to assess the extent of the damage.
IS militants have destroyed two 2,000-year-old temples, an arch and funerary towers since driving Syrian government troops out of Palmyra in May.
The jihadist group believes that such structures are idolatrous. The UN cultural agency, Unesco, has condemned the destruction as a war crime.
Palmyra: Satellite images of the destruction
Why IS destroys ancient sites
IS threat to 'Venice of the Sands'
Understanding sadness at loss of sites
"Su-25 jets hit a fortified IS position in the Tadmur area of Homs province," a Russian defence ministry statement said, using the Arabic name for Palmyra.
"As a result of a direct strike, a fortification, an underground bunker and anti-aircraft artillery were destroyed."
A local activist told AP news agency by telephone that there had been eight strikes around the area of the castle on Monday, sending smoke and dust rising above the hill.
Activists from the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported suspected Russian air strikes on the nearby town of al-Qaryatain, which was captured by IS in August.
Palmyra's castle, known as Qalaat Shirkuh or Qalaat Ibn Maan, is part of the Unesco World Heritage site and sits on a hilltop about 150m above the main ruins.
It was long attributed to a 17th Century Lebanese Maanite emir, but archaeologists say the original fortress was constructed around 1230 by the Homs emir, al-Mujahid Assad al-Din Shirkuh II.
Last month, the Association for the Protection of Syrian Archaeology reported that parts of the castle had been damaged in Syrian government barrel bomb attacks.


Valencia have failed to overturn a controversial decision to disallow a goal in a Champions League Under-19 penalty shootout against Chelsea.

The Spanish side protested to Uefa after the referee ruled Alberto Gil's penalty had hit the post when it had in fact rebounded from inside the goal.
Valencia boss Gary Neville called it "scandalous" while Chelsea said the ball "clearly crossed the line".
On Monday, Valencia said their appeal had been dismissed.
"The club regrets the decision taken by Uefa," said a statement on Valencia's website.
"We want to encourage our young players to continue to be motivated and continue believing in fair play."
Chelsea scored all five of their penalties to go through after the game finished 1-1 in normal time.
The Valencia players and staff urged the referee Adrien Jaccottet to consult the television replay at Chelsea's Cobham training ground.
It is believed the Swiss official refused.
Reigning champions Chelsea will host Lyon or Ajax in the next round, which is due to be played on 8-9 March.


A 22-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder following the death of another man in Wiltshire.

Police officers were called to London Road in Chippenham at 00:20 BST where they found a 38-year-old with "significant injuries".
He was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Det Insp Jim Taylor said: "We are at the very early stages of the investigation, however, we believe this is an isolated attack."
He added: "We are in the process of informing the next of kin of the deceased and although formal identification has not yet taken place, we believe he is a Chippenham man.
"Our thoughts are with his family at this extremely difficult time."
The road has been shut from the junction with Avenue La Fleche and Blackcross and is expected to remain closed for the rest of the day.


The Hearts board will meet in the next 24 hours to assess progress on the club's search for a new head coach.

Owner Ann Budge has been leading a four-strong team who have been interviewing candidates over the past two weeks.
It is highly likely that Jon Daly will remain in charge for Saturday's Premiership visit to Motherwell.
Dougie Freedman, who was interviewed, has taken up the position of sporting director at Crystal Palace, where he previously played and managed.
Former England boss Steve McClaren was on a shortlist of targets but has since gone to Maccabi Tel Aviv as a coaching consultant.
Interim head coach Daly has been interviewed, along with former Tynecastle players Steven Pressley and Paul Hartley, while contact has been made with Billy Davies.
BBC Scotland understands the board will have three options at their disposal.
BBC Scotland has also learned that Scot Gardiner will be leaving at the end of the month. Gardiner joined the club as part of the business management team back in July 2014 just a few weeks after Budge assumed control.