SINGAPORE: A man who slashed actor Ryan Lian over a staring incident outside NEX shopping mall was sentenced to nine months’ jail on Friday (Nov 7).

Aaron Samuel Yukon, a 22-year-old Singaporean, pleaded guilty to one count of causing grievous hurt. A second charge of possessing a karambit knife was taken into consideration.

The court heard that the victim, Mr Lian Yong Yi, better known as Ryan Lian, was smoking near the sheltered walkway outside NEX shopping mall in Serangoon Central at about 6.10pm on Nov 22 last year.

Yukon, who was a stranger to Mr Lian, went to the same location to smoke soon after.

The two men were annoyed with each other for staring, and a verbal confrontation ensued, said the prosecutor.

A fight broke out and they fell to the ground. As they punched each other and struggled, Yukon reached into his pouch and retrieved a sheathed karambit knife.

He used the weapon to attack Mr Lian.

Yukon later managed to break free and ran away.

Mr Lian waited at the scene and realised that his face was bleeding. Two off-duty paramedics attended to him and he was later taken to hospital by ambulance.

His injuries included fractures and lacerations on his face, bruises over his forehead and abrasions.

The prosecution sought nine to 11 months’ jail for Yukon, noting that the victim was discharged two days after he was admitted against medical advice, which means his injuries warranted a longer hospitalisation stay.

Yukon had attacked a vulnerable part of the victim’s body, and the altercation occurred in public, said the prosecutor.

Yukon also previously committed offences of voluntarily causing hurt, but the prosecutor noted that this was not a case where the accused attacked an “unassuming, innocent bystander”.

PULLED INTO DISPUTE WITHOUT RHYME OR REASON: DEFENCE

In mitigation, Mr Haneef Abdul Malik from Trident Law sought at most seven-and-a-half months’ jail for Yukon, saying it was the other party who instigated the confrontation.

Mr Haneef said 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.

He added that Yukon did not realise until later that the sheath of the karambit had fallen off.

He added that Yukon was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder as a child, and that behavioural impulsivity is a core ADHD symptom, increasing the risk of criminality.

Mr Haneef said that on that day, his client was with a friend when he noticed two men looking at them.

When his client and his friend were about to walk past the two men, one of them accosted Yukon’s friend in a hostile manner and started aggressively shouting in Mandarin, to the effect of “what what”.

In the ensuing altercation, Mr Lian shouted at Yukon and asked him: “Then you ... you got problem or not.”

Yukon also suffered severe injuries on his left hand and arm, said the lawyer.

For voluntarily causing grievous hurt, he could have been jailed for up to 10 years and fined or caned.

Mr Lian is known for his roles in Ah Boys To Men 4 and Money No Enough 3.

He was previously arrested after being filmed attempting to pry open an electronic lock of a home in Telok Blangah.

In that incident, police confirmed they arrested one person under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) Act after receiving a report.