A French student has been fined 600 Singapore dollars (roughly £350) after admitting to a public nuisance offence in a Singapore court on Thursday.Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien, 19, pleaded guilty to the charge, which stemmed from an incident at a shopping centre in March when he filmed himself removing a straw from an orange juice vending machine, licking it, and placing it back inside.His lawyers described the act as a stunt designed for his social media audience. The video, which he recorded for his online followers, circulated widely after being posted, leading to criminal charges being brought against him in April.The offence carries a maximum sentence of up to three months’ imprisonment, though prosecutors did not seek a custodial penalty. Instead, they requested the highest possible fine of 2,000 Singapore dollars (approximately £1,150), arguing that the deliberately staged act threatened to erode public trust in the hygiene standards of a widely used vending machine.The court also took a separate mischief charge into account during sentencing. No community-based sentence was imposed, with the judge citing mitigating circumstances.A French student has been fined 600 Singapore dollars (roughly £350) after admitting to a public nuisance offence in a Singapore court | GETTYProsecutors acknowledged several factors in Maximilien’s favour.He had retrieved the straw himself before any customer could use it, no evidence of harm to the public was found, he was young, and he had entered his guilty plea at the earliest opportunity.Defence counsel Kalidass Murugayan told the court that his client had been residing in Singapore without any family support and felt profound regret over what he had done. The lawyer explained that Maximilien had subsequently taken the contaminated straw out of the machine to use for his own beverage, meaning no other person was ever meant to come into contact with it.
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His lawyers described the act as a stunt designed for his social media audience | GETTYHis lawyer said: “He is truly sorry for having caused all this trouble.”They added that the student’s parents would ensure he covered the fine out of his own pocket.Maximilien, who is enrolled at a business school in Singapore, left court without addressing journalists. Prosecutors noted he is due to spend September to December in France as part of his studies, and that immigration authorities would determine whether his student pass remains valid.Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien, 19, pleaded guilty to the charge | GETTYIJooz, the firm that operates the affected vending machine, reported the incident to police and carried out a thorough sanitisation of the dispenser, replacing all 500 straws stored inside.The company has since announced plans to upgrade its machines with enhanced hygiene measures, including individually wrapped straws and compartments that open only after a purchase is completed.Singapore is known for its rigorous approach to regulating public conduct and maintaining cleanliness across the densely populated city-state.The country enforces strict penalties for offences such as littering and vandalism.