Loyalist paramilitaries have been blamed for a "punishment" attack in Co Antrim. A 21-year-old man was treated in hospital for a suspected broken arm after he was assaulted in his flat in Ballyclare.
The attack took place on Monday at about 11 p.m. Several men wielding baseball bats forced their way into the flat at Thornhill Parade. They beat the man and damaged furniture in the living room before leaving.
The victim has a suspected broken arm and bruising to his back and legs. His girlfriend, who was in the flat at the time, escaped injury.
Last week, a 21-year-old man was shot in the leg in a paramilitary attack on the outskirts of north Belfast. He was taken from his home in Newtownabbey by three men.
According to RUC figures, loyalists have carried out 78 beatings and 26 shootings since last September. Fourteen beatings and six shootings have been attributed to the Provisional IRA.
Mr Norman Boyd of the anti-agreement Northern Ireland Unionist Party condemned the latest attack. "People have had enough of this after 30 years and want to live in a society free from those who carry out such attacks," he said.
"The people of Northern Ireland want to live in a society where the RUC are allowed to implement the rule of law. Peter Mandelson is making a mockery of democracy and the rule of law by turning a blind eye to these type of attacks which regrettably occur on a frequent basis."