Singapore charges French teen over vending machine straw-licking stunt
A court also allowed Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien to travel to Manila from May 2-25 for a school trip required for his graduation
Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien, 18, was charged on April 24 and has not entered a plea, the city state’s largest English-language newspaper, The Straits Times, said. He allegedly committed the offence at a shopping centre on March 12, and his video spread rapidly when it surfaced, the report said.
The teen was granted court permission on Wednesday to travel to Manila from May 2-25 for a school trip required for his graduation, The Straits Times said. He is due back in court on May 29.
Mischief carries a penalty of up to two years in prison or a fine, or both, while public nuisance is less severe with up to three months in prison or a fine, or both.
IJooz, the company operating the juice vending machine, filed a police report, and sanitised the dispenser while replacing all 500 straws in the machine. It said it would upgrade its machines to include measures such as individually packaged straws and straw compartments that unlock only after the transaction is completed.