A 19-year-old French student was fined 600 Singapore dollars on July 30, 2026, after pleading guilty to a public nuisance charge for filming himself licking an orange juice vending machine straw in March and returning it to the dispenser.
What began as a stunt filmed for social media concluded in a Singapore courtroom, where Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien faced the legal consequences of an act that sparked online outrage earlier this year. The 19-year-old French national admitted guilt to one count of public nuisance, while a second charge of mischief was taken into consideration during sentencing, according to court documents.
The Vending Machine Incident at Goldhill Centre
The sequence of events began on March 12, when Maximilien attended a boxing class at Goldhill Centre in Thomson Road. Following his session at about 2:00 PM, he approached an iJooz vending machine to purchase a beverage. Instead of simply buying a drink, he recorded an Instagram story showing himself taking a straw from the kiosk, licking approximately half of it, and placing it back into the dispenser.
After finishing the recording, the teenager bought his drink, retrieved the same contaminated straw from the dispenser, and left the premises. He subsequently edited the video and uploaded it to his Instagram account, the court heard.
The footage gained widespread attention after an acquaintance screen-recorded the post and forwarded it to a media outlet. An assistant operations manager for iJooz, a company operating freshly squeezed orange juice vending machines, filed a police report on March 25 after discovering the viral video. The company was forced to replace all 500 straws inside the affected dispenser, which were valued at a total of 5 Singapore dollars.
Legal Arguments and the Decision for a Fine
During court proceedings, both prosecution and defense agreed that a financial penalty was appropriate. Deputy Public Prosecutor Maximilian Chew urged the court to impose a fine, leaving the specific amount to the discretion of the bench. Chew noted that a fine suited the circumstances given the offender’s youth, while adding that a short detention order was unnecessary because the custodial threshold had not been crossed.
Maximilien’s defense counsel, Kalidass Murugaiyan, explained that the legal team ultimately abandoned the possibility of pursuing probation due to logistical hurdles. With the teenager’s father working in France, finding a local guardian presented significant difficulties.
“He is truly sorry for having caused all this trouble, and he realises that what appeared to him at that time as something perhaps playful has turned out to be something very consequential.”
Kalidass Murugaiyan, Defense Lawyer, via The Straits Times
District Judge Kelly Ho acknowledged that probation or other community-based sentences would normally serve as the standard approach given the defendant’s age and the nature of the offense. However, citing practical difficulties, she agreed with the defense proposal and ordered a fine of 600 Singapore dollars, equivalent to approximately 465 US dollars or 458 euros, as reported by regional outlets.
Unresolved Student Pass Status and Penalties
While the criminal matter concluded with the financial penalty, the status of Maximilien’s student pass remains under review. The prosecution previously sought adjournments to await word from immigration authorities, though prosecutor Chew emphasized that the state’s sentencing position operated independently of any administrative immigration decisions.
“I understand that ICA will make that decision having regard to all relevant considerations including circumstances of the case and the outcome of today’s proceedings.”
Maximilian Chew, Deputy Public Prosecutor, via Channel NewsAsia
In response to media inquiries, the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority stated that foreign nationals who commit offenses or engage in undesirable conduct face potential review, cancellation, or revocation of their immigration passes. Because the assessment remains active, authorities declined to provide additional comments. For a charge of public nuisance, offenders in Singapore face penalties of up to three months in prison, a fine reaching 2,000 Singapore dollars, or both, according to court guidelines.
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