A French student has been fined 600 Singapore dollars (approximately €400 or $458) after licking a drinking straw and returning it to a dispenser in a stunt filmed for social media.
The 19‑year‑old, Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien, pleaded guilty to a public nuisance charge.
He escaped a possible prison sentence, though it is still uncertain whether authorities will cancel his student pass. Maximilien is a French national studying at Singapore’s ESSEC Business School.
What the student did and why
In March, Maximilien took a straw from a freshly squeezed orange‑juice vending machine, licked it, and placed it back in the dispenser.
He recorded the act for an Instagram story, and the video later went viral.
An employee of the company that operates the machine saw the footage and notified police. Consequently, all 500 straws in the dispenser had to be replaced.
The direct expense amounted to just five Singapore dollars (about €3.30), according to court documents, but the incident attracted nationwide attention.
Maximilien could have faced several months in prison, a fine, or both after being convicted of disturbing public order.
His lawyer told the court that he was remorseful and now realised that an apparently harmless prank could have far‑reaching consequences.
Singapore’s strict public‑order laws
The wealthy city‑state is known for its strict laws and rigorous enforcement, with cleanliness and tightly regulated public spaces forming part of its image for decades.
The import of chewing gum, for example, remains largely prohibited as part of efforts to prevent littering and vandalism.
Singapore also retains judicial caning for certain serious offenses, although the punishment was not applicable in the student’s case.
Edited by: Louis Oelofse
