French teen faces charges in Singapore over viral vending-straw video
An 18-year-old French student, Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien, was charged in Singapore on April 24 with mischief and public nuisance after a video showing him licking a straw from an IJooz vending machine and returning it went viral; the incident reportedly occurred March 12 at a shopping mall. He has not entered a plea and was granted permission to travel to Manila for a school trip from May 2 to 25, returning May 29 for further court proceedings. Misconduct carries up to two years’ imprisonment or a fine, while public nuisance carries up to three months or a fine. The vending machine operator reported the incident, sanitized the machine, replaced 500 straws, and said it would upgrade with features to prevent future tampering.
