Monday, April 27, 2026, 1:03 p.m
1793 readings
A French teenager who allegedly licked a straw from an orange juice vending machine before putting it back in the dispenser has been charged with vandalism and disorderly conduct in Singapore. Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien, 18, uploaded a video on Instagram of himself performing the act, according to local news. The video was later widely shared.
The company that owns the machine, iJooz, says it has replaced all 500 straws in the machine’s dispenser after the alleged incident. BBC.
If convicted of both charges, Maximilien faces a maximum sentence of more than two years in prison and thousands of dollars in fines. The alleged incident took place on March 12 at a mall in Singapore.
Maximilien posted his video as an Instagram Story with a caption that said “the city is not safe”.
Many online users reacted with disgust to his video, which was reposted on a community page and picked up by local news outlets.
iJooz told news agency Channel NewsAsia (CNA) that it has lodged a complaint with the police and has initiated sanitization protocols and inspections of its device.
Maximilien is currently a student at the Singapore branch of Essec Business School.
A spokesperson for the school previously told news agencies that it was aware of the incident and that internal investigations were ongoing.
His case will be heard again in court on May 22.
