Student Fined for Licking Straws and Putting Them Back In Vending Machine for Social Media Stunt

A French student was fined after pleading guilty to crimes of public nuisance in Singapore for filming himself licking a straw and putting it back in a vending machine for a social media stunt.

Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien, 19, was fined 600 Singapore dollars, roughly $465, following charges of mischief and public nuisance in April over an incident that happened at a mall in March, according to The Associated Press. The teen admitted to licking a straw and putting it back in with clean straws connected to a vending machine. He filmed the whole thing for his social media followers, which is how authorities heard of the crime.

The outlet reports that the public nuisance charge can carry a penalty of up to three months in prison and a maximum fine of 2,000 Singapore dollars ($1,551). Prosecutors pushed for the maximum fine, saying the student’s social media risked undermining confidence in the hygiene of the public vending machine.

The court considered mitigating factors and opted to issue the fine with no community-based sentencing. Among the factors considered was that Maximilien retrieved the straw and used it himself after he stopped filming. So, no member of the public actually used the tainted straw. The court also factored in that he pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity. Lastly, Maximilien studies business at a school in Singapore, but has plans to be in his native France from September to December, making any community service difficult.

However, immigration authorities will decide if he can keep his student pass in the country.

The Associated Press reports that iJooz, the company that operates the vending machine, filed a police report over the stunt, sanitized the dispenser and replaced all 500 straws in the machine. It also pledged to upgrade its machines in some way to prevent similar incidents in the future.