Man who slashed actor Ryan Lian sentenced to 9 months in jail

The man who slashed local actor Ryan Lian during a fight outside Nex shopping mall last November has been sentenced to nine months in jail.

Singaporean Aaron Samuel Yukon, 22, pleaded guilty to one count of causing grievous hurt. His second charge of possessing a karambit knife was taken into consideration, according to a report by CNA yesterday (Nov 7).

Ryan, 40, was smoking outside Nex shopping mall on the evening of Nov 22 last year, when Yukon came to the same location to smoke. The two men did not know each other.

They got into a staring incident, leading to a verbal confrontation, and eventually fought.

As they fell to the ground, throwing punches and struggling, Yukon took out a karambit knife and attacked Ryan, causing multiple injuries on his face, including a fracture of the bone near the left eye, a cut between his eyebrows and a cut to the inner folded rim of his left ear.

The prosecution sought a nine to 11 months' jail term for Yukon because he had attacked a vulnerable part of the body and the attack happened in public.

Ryan was discharged two days after he was admitted to hospital, against medical advice, which meant his injuries had required longer hospitalisation.

Yukon's lawyer Haneef Abdul Malik requested for a maximum of seven-and-a-half months' jail, explaining Ryan had instigated the confrontation and held onto Yukon to the extent that the latter was "restrained and unable to break free despite strenuous attempts".

The lawyer said because of the provocation, Yukon had "no choice" but to hit Ryan with the hilt of the knife to "escape". He also suffered severe injuries to his left hand and arm.

Haneef also said Yukon was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as a child and behavioural impulsivity is one of the core symptoms, increasing his tendency towards criminal behaviour.

He was sentenced to nine months of jail. For voluntarily causing grievous hurt, Yukon could have been jailed for up to 10 years and fined or caned.

Ryan, whose best-known works include movies Long Long Time Ago (2016) and King of Hawkers (2024), had recounted the incident to Shin Min Daily News last November, sharing that he was so scared after the fight that his hands were shaking and he was told by the doctor later to be "mentally prepared" as he would "definitely have scars" on his face.

Last September, he broke open the lock of a Telok Blangah flat and was apprehended under Section 7 of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) Act.

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yeo.shuhui@asiaone.com