Top loyalist denies he's man in shocking Belfast doorstep extortion video

Like his uncle Stephen ‘Mackers’ Matthews, businessman Andy Thompson is also extremely well known in loyalist circles in east Belfast, the Sunday World can reveal.

But when we caught up with the 39 year-old father of two, he robustly rejected social media claims that he was present when another well known loyalist tried to recoup a £10,000 debt.

Earlier this week, CCTV footage appeared on social media sites Twitter and Facebook, showing a veteran loyalist knocking at the door of a family home.

The man is currently out on bail facing trial on separate charges.

Inside the house, two dogs were barking loudly as the man repeatedly turned away from the camera and covered his face with his hand.

As he is speaking to the woman, another man, wearing a woollen hat and dressed completely in black also appears in the film. He stood just yards behind the man at the time. But he remained tight-lipped throughout the 34 second exchange.

For the majority of the time, he faced away from the CCTV security camera placed just inside the front door of the property.

But on three separate occasions he glanced upwards and as he did so, his face was revealed full-on to the camera.

The video has been shared hundreds of times on social media with claims this man is Andy Thompson.

But this week, when we asked Andy Thompson if HE was the mystery man in black, he said: “No, that definitely isn’t me.

“Everyone is saying it is me and I know it looks like me, but it definitely isn’t.” insisted Thompson.

The top loyalist did concede though, he had been plagued all week by people claiming he was present at the house seen on the film footage.

“Yes, I’ve seen the film and people are saying it’s me. A lot of people seem to think it’s me, but it definitely isn’t.” said Thompson with a smile.

And he added: “I don’t think there was any intimidation in it anyway. (the man) was just asking for his money back.”

Andy Thompson is east Belfast born and bred. He was brought up in the Bloomfield area, where he attended Ravenscroft Nursery School and later Elimgrove Primary.

After his parents sold their house, he later lived further out in the Tullycarnet and Ardcarn estates.

His uncle by marriage, Stephen Matthews, helped to get Thompson a job in the Harland and Wolff Shipyard, according to sources. And it was after this he became involved with loyalism in the east of the city.

But he later quit the yard to go into business for himself. These days, he drives a top of the range black BMW jeep, while his beautician wife Amanda, drives a black Volvo jeep.

Amanda recently opened a high-end nail bar in the Rosetta area. She built the business up from practically nothing, working out of a wooden shed at the rear of their home.

The couple enjoy regular holidays abroad and on one trip, Andy had his uneven ‘tombstone-style’ nashers replaced with shiny new teeth in Turkey. Thompson is a fan of expensive designer clothes and when met him this week, he was wearing his favourite Hugo Boss track suit.