A NEWLY WED man was assaulted by an armed and masked gang in Rosemount, Derry, late on Wednesday night.
Mr Ciaran Collins was picked out by five masked men, one armed with a handgun and the others with baseball bats, as he sat in a bar with members of his family. The gang assaulted him outside the premises. He sustained fractures to his hands, elbows, ribs and knee.
Last year, Mr Collins stayed in St Eugene's Cathedral for three weeks following an earlier so called punishment beating. During that attack the IRA said it would shoot him if he did not leave the city.
Mr Collins married his partner, Annette, in Manchester 10 days ago. He was due to return there yesterday.
Mr Collins's wife said: "Ciaran wanted to come home for a few days to show his family our wedding photographs.
"I couldn't believe it when I saw him in hospital. His injuries are horrific.
"The IRA forced Ciaran to leave Derry for a year. He came back after 14 months and now this happens. They had no need to do this. They are just animals."