Singapore court fines French teenager US$465 for viral straw-licking prank

A social media stunt involving a single straw has left a French student facing a hefty fine — and possible consequences for his right to remain in Singapore. SINGAPORE (AP) — A French student was fined 600 Singapore dollars ($465) after pleading guilty Thursday to a public nuisance charge in Singapore for filming himself licking a straw from an orange juice vending machine and putting it back in… French teenager Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien (right) and his lawyer arrive at the State Courts in Singapore.

(AFP pic) SINGAPORE: A French teenager was fined in Singapore Thursday after pleading guilty to a public nuisance charge for a straw-licking stunt that landed him in hot water in the city state.Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien, 19, was handed a Sg$600 (US$465) fine after admitting to posting to social media a video of himself putting a straw he had licked back into the dispenser on an orange juice vending machine.The clip went viral shortly after the incident on March 12, triggering a backlash that led to his arrest in Singapore, which is known for its strict enforcement of public order and hygiene rules.Handing down the sentence, Judge Kelly Ho said given Maximilien's "age and nature of the offence", alternatives like probation or a community-based sentence would not be imposed.Prosecutors agreed to the defence's proposal for a fine, saying the offence was at the "lower end" of its seriousness and while hygiene was compromised, no member of the public used the straw, so there "was no evidence of harm".They added that Maximilien "pleaded guilty at the earliest possible opportunity."Singapore is known for its no-nonsense approach to public stunts.Last year it deported an Australian man at the end of a nine-day jail term for jumping over the barricade and lunging at pop star and actress Ariana Grande during the Asian premier of "Wicked: For Good". A French teenager who posted a video of himself licking a straw and returning it to an iJooz vending machine in Singapore was fined S$600 (US$465) for public nuisance on Thursday. The clip had gone viral after someone in his Instagram circle recorded it and forwarded the footage to a media outlet, the defence said.

Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien, 19, pleaded guilty to one count of public nuisance, with a second charge of mischief taken into consideration. On March 12, Maximilien attended a...