An 18-year-old French teen, Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien, is facing mischief and public nuisance charges in Singapore. The charges follow a social media video in which the teen licked a straw from an orange juice vending machine at a shopping mall on March 12 and then put it back.
The company operating the machine, IJooz, filed a police report and responded by sanitizing the dispenser and replacing all 500 straws. The company stated it would upgrade its machines to include individually packaged straws and compartments that unlock only after a transaction is completed. Maximilien was charged on April 24 and has not yet entered a plea. Mischief carries a potential penalty of up to two years in prison or a fine, while public nuisance carries up to three months in prison or a fine.
A student at a French business school in Singapore, Maximilien was granted court permission to travel to Manila from May 2-25 for a school trip and internship required for his graduation. He is scheduled to return to court on May 29. Singapore tightly regulates public behavior and cleanliness, maintaining restrictions such as limits on chewing gum and strong penalties for littering and vandalism.