A 19-year-old student in Singapore was fined after posting a video of himself licking a drinking straw from a vending machine and putting it back.
Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien, a student from France, licked a straw from an orange juice machine on March 12 after a workout. He put the straw back into the machine dispenser and shared a video of the stunt on Instagram with the caption "city is not safe."
The video quickly spread across social media and local news outlets, drawing strong public disgust. The vending machine company, iJooz, had to replace all 500 straws in the machine's dispenser following the incident.
Maximilien pleaded guilty in court to one count of public nuisance and was fined S$600 (about $465). In Singapore, public nuisance offenses can result in fines up to S$2,000, three months in jail, or both.
His defense lawyer stated that Maximilien was truly sorry for his actions. The lawyer explained that what began as a playful joke turned out to have serious consequences.
Vending machines from iJooz are popular in Singapore, selling freshly squeezed orange juice for S$2 a cup across shopping districts and residential areas.