A 22-year-old Singaporean was sentenced to nine months' jail on Friday, November 7, for slashing actor Ryan Lian over a staring incident outside NEX shopping mall.
Aaron Samuel Yukon pleaded guilty to one count of causing grievous hurt and a second charge of possessing a karambit knife was also taken into consideration.
The victim, Lian Yong Yi, also known as Ryan Lian, was caught smoking outside the NEX shopping mall in Serangoon Central at approximately 6:10 pm on November 22, 2024, according to the court.
Yukon, who was a stranger to Lian, went to the same location to smoke soon after.
The prosecutor said that the two men got into a verbal altercation because they were annoyed by each other's staring.
They fell to the ground as a fight broke out. Yukon took a sheathed karambit knife from his pouch as they struggled and punched each other. He struck Lian with the weapon.
Later, Yukon was able to escape.
As Lian waited at the scene, he became aware of the blood on his face. After receiving treatment from two paramedics who were not on duty, he was transported by ambulance to the hospital.
He suffered abrasions, bruises across his forehead, and facial fractures and cuts.
Since Yukon was released from the hospital two days after his admission despite medical advice, the prosecution requested nine to eleven months in jail, arguing that his injuries justified a longer hospital stay.
The prosecutor claimed that the altercation took place in public and that Yukon had attacked a vulnerable area of the victim's body.
Although Yukon had previously engaged in acts of willful harm, the prosecutor pointed out that this instance did not involve an attack on a "unassuming, innocent bystander."
In mitigation, Haneef Abdul Malik of Trident Law requested that Yukon be imprisoned for a maximum of seven and a half months, claiming that the other party was the one who started the altercation.
Haneef said that the victim held on to his client "incessantly to the extent that he was restrained and unable to break free despite strenuous attempts".
"As a result of the stranger's provocation, he felt that he had no choice but to hit (him) with the hilt of a karambit ... in order to escape from the stranger's persisting hold," said the lawyer, as quoted by CNA.
He went on to say that Yukon was unaware that the karambit's sheath had fallen off until much later.
He went on to say that Yukon had been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder as a child and that one of the main symptoms of ADHD is behavioral impulsivity, which raises the likelihood of criminal activity.
According to Haneef, he saw two men staring at his client and a friend that day.
His client and his friend were about to pass the two men when one of them became hostile and began yelling "what what" in Mandarin at Yukon's friend.
Lian yelled at Yukon during the ensuing altercation, asking, "Then you... you got problem or not."
According to the attorney, Yukon's left arm and hand also sustained serious injuries.
He could have received a fine or caning in addition to a maximum 10-year jail sentence for willfully causing great harm.
Lian's roles in Ah Boys To Men 4 and Money No Enough 3 have earned him recognition.
He was previously arrested after being caught on camera trying to force open a Telok Blangah home's electronic lock.
After receiving a report about the incident, police confirmed that they had made one arrest under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) Act.
