The son of a man who lost both legs in a loyalist punishment shooting was badly beaten in an attack in north Belfast early today.
Mr Drew Peden (17) whose father Andrew was critically wounded by members of the UVF five years ago, received 37 staples in his head after a gang of men attacked him in the Crumlin Road area.
He was walking past Flax Mill when a car stopped beside him and four masked men armed with cudgels got out and attacked him.
The teenager said the men pulled his hat over his head and put a gun to his legs and threatened to shoot him.
"They said 'do you know what we are going to do with you? If you keep squealing we will put you in that boot and do you right'," he said.
The gang then stripped the teenager of his clothes and left him naked by the side of the road. He was picked up by a passing taxi driver who took him to hospital.
The youth, who sustained head wounds, was also badly bruised about his body, legs and arms. He has since been discharged from hospital.
Last August, the 17-year-old was shot in the legs in a loyalist punishment attack. He also lost part of a hand when a home-made device blew up in a shed at his parents' home.
While the youth believes the attack was sectarian, police have said they are keeping an open mind into the incident.
PA