Actor Kiki Darling leaves Ah Boys To Firefighters after past sexual assault conviction surfaces online

Actor Kiki Darling, whose real name is Hari Kishen Balakrishnan, has resigned from his role in the upcoming film "Ah Boys to Firefighters" after his previous conviction for sexual assault surfaced online. The production team stated they were unaware of the conviction and had verified the news on September 8.

According to Mothership, Kiki Darling was convicted in 2021 of sexually assaulting a 23-year-old male friend after a night of drinking. The assault occurred in a friend's apartment, with the victim being almost unconscious at the time.

The production team has decided to recast Kiki Darling's role and remove his scenes from the film. The team said they were surprised by the news of his conviction and that none of the cast members had declared any prior convictions.

Brief written by urgent.news from CNA - Singapore, Mothership — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.