A 19-year-old French student has been fined $465 in Singapore after admitting he created a public nuisance by filming himself licking a straw from an orange juice vending machine and then placing it back, in what lawyers described as a stunt for social media.
Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien pleaded guilty Thursday, acknowledging that he had licked the straw and returned it to the machine while recording the act for his online audience.
The incident took place at a shopping mall in March, and Maximilien was charged in April after the video circulated widely online.
A separate mischief charge was also taken into consideration by the court during sentencing.
In deciding on the penalty, the court imposed a fine and declined to order any community-based sentence, citing mitigating factors in the case.
Under Singapore law, the public nuisance charge could have resulted in a jail term of up to three months.
Prosecutors had asked for only the maximum fine of $1,551, arguing that the staged act was designed for social media attention and could have shaken public trust in the hygiene of a vending machine used by customers.
They also pointed out that Maximilien took back the straw himself, that no member of the public used it, that there was no evidence anyone was harmed, and that he was young and had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.
Maximilien studies in a business school in Singapore, but prosecutors told the court he would also be in France from September to December as part of his studies.
Prosecutors said immigration authorities will decide if Maximilien can keep his student pass in Singapore after considering all relevant factors.
Defense counsel Kalidass Murugayan said the student has been living in Singapore without family support and expressed deep remorse for his actions.
He said the video was a stunt for social media followers and that Maximilien later removed the contaminated straw from the machine to use for his own drink, meaning it was never intended for anyone else.
“He is truly sorry for having caused all this trouble,” the lawyer said. His parents will ensure that he paid the fine himself, the counsel added. The student left the court without speaking to reporters.
IJooz, the company operating the juice vending machine, filed a police report over the stunt and sanitized the dispenser while replacing all 500 straws in the machine.
It has said it would upgrade its machines to include measures such as individually packaged straws and compartments that unlock only after the transaction is completed.
Singapore, a densely populated city-state, tightly regulates public behavior and cleanliness and has strong penalties for littering and vandalism.
