The level of brutality involved in the sustained assault which culminated in a man being literally nailed to a fence in Co Antrim was truly shocking and demands a firm response from the authorities.
It was always clear that a loyalist paramilitary group targeted the victim in Bushmills on Sunday morning, with the belief growing that the UDA, which has a disturbingly strong presence in the area, was the guilty party.
He was said to have suffered life changing injuries when he was seized by a gang, and had his hands spread in what was described as a crucifixion position, before he was nailed to fence boards in a car park close to the centre of a village which has been attempting to develop its tourist potential.
Two vans, one belonging to the injured man, who is in his 20s and recovering in hospital after he was cut free by the emergency services, were set ablaze at the scene by the perpetrators, and graffiti which was apparently linked to the assault was painted on nearby public toilets.
It would be wrong to speculate on the background to the attack but what can be said with certainty is that the people who carried it out were criminal thugs with no interest in the well-being of wider society.
Paramilitary groups on both sides of the divide have routinely organised similarly evil assaults and shootings in the past in an effort to impose their own control on particular districts.
While they sometimes claim to be dealing with anti-social behaviour, their own members have regularly been convicted of drug dealing, extortion and other hugely serious offences.
There has even been evidence that individuals who were shot or beaten by paramilitaries have subsequently themselves been recruited by the same factions.
The overall number of such paramilitary attacks is at a much lower level than during the worst days of the Troubles, but PSNI figures indicate that they more than doubled, from seven to 19, during the 12 months up to October of last year.
Given the audacious nature of the Bushmills outrage, and the message it sent out, it is essential that a firm spotlight is placed on the activities of the UDA.
Its representatives are publicly associated with the Loyalist Communities Council, among other organisations, so their identity is hardly a secret.
The difficulties in bringing paramilitary suspects before the courts have been well documented but what happened in Bushmills can only be regarded as a direct challenge to the rule of law and order.
There will be an expectation that the PSNI has both the determination and the resources to ensure that prosecutions follow without delay.
