Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien, a 19-year-old French student in Singapore, pleaded guilty to one count of public nuisance after licking a straw from an orange juice vending machine and returning it to the dispenser on March 12 at the iJooz vending machine in Goldhill Centre, Singapore [1, 2, 3].
Maximilien filmed the prank and posted the video on Instagram. The video went viral, sparking public outrage across Singapore [1, 2, 3]. Despite the direct cost to replace all 500 straws in the dispenser being about S$5 (€3.30), the incident drew nationwide attention [3].
Following the incident, iJooz replaced all 500 straws in the vending machine as a precaution [1, 2, 3].
Maximilien took about half of the straw, licked it, then placed it back before collecting a drink and leaving [2]. He pleaded guilty to public nuisance, with a second charge of mischief taken into consideration by the court [2].
The Singapore court fined Maximilien S$600 (approximately US$465 or €400), below the maximum penalty of a S$2,000 fine, three months in jail, or both for public nuisance offenders in Singapore [1, 2, 3]. His defence lawyer said, "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" [1].
Maximilien avoided jail, but it remains unclear if his student pass will be revoked [3]. The case has concluded with the court's decision as of August 12, 2026 [1, 2, 3].
