S'porean man, 22, who slashed actor Ryan Lian outside Nex, gets 9 months' jail

A Singaporean man who slashed local actor Ryan Lian outside NEX shopping mall was sentenced to nine months' jail on Nov. 7.

Aaron Samuel Yukon, 22, pleaded guilty to one count of causing grievous hurt, with a second charge of possessing a karambit knife taken into consideration.

The incident occurred on Nov. 22, 2024 outside the mall, after a verbal altercation between both men broke out.

Staring turned fight

According to court documents viewed by Mothership, Lian, whose real name is Lian Yong Yi, was smoking near the sheltered walkway outside NEX about 6:10pm.

A few minutes later, Yukon went there to smoke as well.

The men, who are not acquainted, soon got annoyed at each other for staring.

A verbal confrontation turned physical and they fell to the ground in the struggle.

Injuries

During the fight, Yukon pulled out a sheathed karambit knife and slashed Lian with it.

He then ran away.

Meanwhile, Lian waited at the scene and was attended to by two off-duty paramedics.

He was subsequently conveyed to hospital.

Lian was found to have suffered multiple lacerations and abrasions from the attack.

Previously, he revealed his facial scars from the brawl on social media, and said that he was considering retiring due to his scars.

Not an innocent bystander

Prior to sentencing, the prosecution sought a nine to 11 month jail term for Yukon.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Xavier Tan pointed out that Yukon had attacked a vulnerable part of Lian's body in public.

Yukon also has a previous record of voluntarily causing hurt.

But the prosecutor acknowledged that Lian had not been an "unassuming, innocent bystander".

In mitigation, the defence counsel said Lian had started the fight, according to CNA.

He and a friend had notice two men, including Lian, staring at them, he said.

One of the men then accosted Yukon's friend in a hostile manner and started aggressively shouting in Mandarin, to the effect of "what what".

In the altercation that followed, Lian shouted at Yukon and asked him: "Then you...you got problem or not."

Tried to escape

The defence explained that Yukon was unable to break free from the actor's grasp, and "felt that he had no choice" but to attack him with the knife.

He said that Yukon did not realise at that point that the sheath of the karambit had fallen off, and also sustained severe injuries on his left hand and arm from the fight.

The lawyer added that Yukon was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as a child.

Since behavioural impulsivity is a core ADHD symptom, this increases the risk of criminality.

For his offence, he could have been jailed for up to 10 years, and fined or caned.

Top photos via Google Maps, ryanlianyy/Instagram