Singapore fines French teen $465 for viral straw-licking stunt
A French student studying in Singapore was fined S$600 for licking a straw from an orange juice vending machine and returning it to the dispenser. He pleaded guilty to a public nuisance charge after posting the act on Instagram, which sparked public outrage. The court imposed the fine, and the vending machine operator replaced all straws in the machine.
- ▪The 19‑year‑old French student, Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien, was fined S$600 (approximately $465) after pleading guilty to a public nuisance offence.
- ▪He posted a video of himself licking a straw from an iJooz orange juice vending machine on Instagram, prompting widespread disgust.
- ▪Singapore law allows fines up to S$2,000, imprisonment, or both for public nuisance offences.
- ▪The vending‑machine company replaced all 500 straws in the affected machine following the incident.
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| Publication time | Thu, 30 Jul 2026 02:54:54 GMT |
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Singapore fines French teen $465 for viral straw-licking stuntImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien is 'truly sorry' for causing trouble, his lawyer saysByJoel GuintoPublished8 minutes agoA Singapore court has fined a French student S$600 ($465; £348) for licking a straw from an orange juice vending machine and putting it back into its dispenser.Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien, 19, pleaded guilty to one count of public nuisance.Maximilien, who is studying in Singapore, posted the video of himself licking the straw on Instagram with the caption "city is not safe".Many online reacted with disgust to his video, which was reposted on a community page and picked up by local news outlets.The company that owns the vending machine, iJooz, said it replaced all 500…
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