A 19-year-old French male teenager, defendant in a case involving a video clip of licking a straw from a coin-operated orange juice vending machine in Singapore and returning it to its slot, appeared in court to hear the charges as scheduled. However, the prosecution ordered the hearing to be postponed until the end of this month while coordinating with the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) to determine if his student visa might be revoked upon a guilty verdict.
The Singapore court ordered the postponement of the hearing for Didier Gaspar Owen Maximilian, a 19-year-old French student charged for posting a video of himself licking a straw from an iJooz automatic orange juice vending machine and placing it back into the slot at the Goldhill Centre shopping mall on 12 March.
Originally, the defendant was scheduled to enter a plea on 13 July, but the prosecution filed a motion to postpone the hearing, stating they are coordinating with Singapore's Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) to verify whether the defendant’s student visa will be revoked if found guilty.
The prosecution noted that the ICA's decision could affect sentencing recommendations, making it necessary to postpone the case. The court set the new plea hearing date for 30 July.
Maximilian faces two charges: causing public nuisance and damaging property. He is accused of licking a straw from an iJooz orange juice vending machine, returning it to the machine, and posting the footage on his Instagram story.
Following the incident, iJooz replaced all 500 straws in the vending machines, sterilized all machines, and reported the matter to the police. The company announced plans to upgrade hygiene measures, such as using individually packaged straws and redesigning dispensing slots to open only after payment is completed.
The defendant attended court with his lawyer but did not speak to the media. The defense clarified that he is not in Singapore as an exchange student but holds a student visa and studies at ESSEC Business School. The curriculum requires returning to France from September until the end of the year, and failure to return could prevent graduation.
The defense requested the court to consider probation instead of imprisonment, stating that if the court orders an assessment report on probation suitability, the defendant will cooperate and arrange travel schedules to comply with court appearances.
Previously, ESSEC Business School issued a statement acknowledging the incident and said an internal investigation is underway in accordance with institutional regulations.
Under Singapore law, damaging property carries a maximum penalty of 2 years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both. The charge of causing public nuisance in a public place carries up to 3 months imprisonment, a fine of up to 2,000 Singapore dollars, or both.
Singapore strictly enforces laws on cleanliness and public order, imposing severe penalties for behaviors that affect public hygiene and social order, including littering, vandalism of public property, and acts that pose public health risks.