A MAN IN his 20s has been hospitalised after he was beaten with a hammer during an aggravated burglary in north Belfast.

The incident happened in the Forthriver Crescent area of the city at around 11.25pm last night.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) report that during the attack, four masked men forced their way into the house where the man was living.

The intruders are said to have ransacked some rooms downstairs and threatened a woman, before making their way to a bedroom where they assaulted the man.

The victim was beaten with a hammer, and sustained wounds and lacerations to his arm, ankle, head and body, requiring hospital treatment.

It’s believed that some of the suspects were also armed with sticks, and that the assailants, who were dressed in black, subsequently made off on foot.

A police spokesman described the incident as a shocking and brutal attack on a young man.

“The female occupant, who ran to a separate room to protect her two young children, has also understandably been left badly shaken,” a statement said.

The PSNI are appealing to anyone with information, or who may have noticed any suspicious activity in the area around the time of the attack, to contact them.