Armed gang threatens city family

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A mother has said she feared for her children's lives when armed gunmen forced their way into her home in Londonderry.

Lorraine Cooke and her children were confronted by two men in their house in Ballymagroarty on Tuesday night.

The gang demanded to be taken to a safe, but then fled when she told them there was not one.

"I said to the man, 'Go ahead and do whatever you want, but please don't hurt my children'," said Mrs Cooke.

"My son was panicking and shouting and yelling, and the one who was talking to me turned towards him, and I thought he might hurt him.

"The other one went towards my daughter's room, and so I said to the man 'just don't hurt my children'."