French student pleads guilty and is fined for a straw-licking stunt in Singapore
Prosecutors said the staged social media stunt was deliberate, and the court imposed a fine after finding no evidence that anyone used the straw.
- On Thursday, July 30, French national Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien was fined S$600 for public nuisance after pleading guilty to licking a straw at an iJooz vending machine in Singapore.
- The incident occurred on March 12 at Goldhill Centre, where Maximilien filmed himself licking a straw before returning it to the dispenser; he later retrieved the contaminated straw, ensuring no member of the public used it.
- Defence lawyer Kalidass Murugaiyan advocated for a fine due to logistical difficulties securing a local guardian for Maximilien, with the family having "every intention" of ensuring payment. Both prosecution and defence agreed the fine was suitable.
- After Maximilien posted the footage to Instagram, an acquaintance forwarded it to a media outlet, causing the clip to go viral. The act forced iJooz to replace all 500 straws in the dispenser, worth S$5 total.
- Immigration and Checkpoints Authority officials will determine the status of Maximilien's student pass following his conviction, considering all relevant circumstances of the case, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Maximilian Chew.
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116 Articles
A fine of 600 Singaporian dollars, about 406 euros. It is the sanction decreed by the judge of the city-state Kelly Ho for Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien, 19-year-old French student who lives in Singapore and who, last March, had licked a straw destined for public use, reinserandola then in the dispenser of a vending machine. A good social shot in [...] The article "It seemed to him a game": he picks up while licking a straw and puts it back in …
French Student Fined £348 in Singapore After Licking Vending Machine Straw and Putting It Back
A French student has been fined S$600 (£348) by a Singapore court after licking a straw from an orange juice vending machine and putting it back into the dispenser, in a stunt that went viral on Instagram. Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien, 19, pleaded guilty to one count of public nuisance over the incident, which took place on 12 March at an iJooz vending machine in Singapore's Goldhill Centre. Licked Straw in Goldhill Centre Goes Viral Maximilie…
Teen Who Licked Public Straw Gets His Punishment
A French teen's attempt at a viral prank in Singapore just cost him about $465. A court levied the fine on 19-year-old student Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien after he admitted to licking a straw from an iJooz orange juice vending machine, then putting it back and posting the clip on...
French student guilty of licking straw from vending machine and putting it back into dispenser
A French student has been fined 600 Singapore dollars (roughly £350) after admitting to a public nuisance offence in a Singapore court on Thursday.Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien, 19, pleaded guilty to the charge, which stemmed from an incident at a shopping centre in March when he filmed himself removing a straw from an orange juice vending machine, licking it, and placing it back inside.His lawyers described the act as a stunt designed for his …
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