SINGAPORE – A high-profile court case against a 19-year-old French teenager accused of posting a controversial viral prank video has been adjourned until July 30, after prosecutors requested additional time to clarify whether a conviction would cost the young man his right to continue studying in the city-state.
Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien was scheduled to enter a guilty plea on two charges — mischief and public nuisance — stemming from an incident that dates back to March 12. According to official charges, the teen filmed himself licking an unused straw from a public juice vending machine located inside a Singaporean shopping mall before placing the straw back into the machine’s dispenser. He later shared the clip to social media, where it spread rapidly across regional and global platforms, drawing widespread public backlash. He was formally charged with the offenses on April 24.
Since being released on bail, Maximilien has remained in Singapore and continued attending classes at a local business school. Prosecutors confirmed they need extra time to confirm whether a criminal conviction on the current charges would automatically trigger the revocation of his student pass, a key detail that has not yet been finalized by immigration authorities.
The company that operates the vending machine, IJooz, filed a formal police report immediately after the incident came to light. In response to the prank, the business carried out full sanitization of the affected dispenser and replaced all 500 unused straws held in the machine to eliminate public health risks. Looking ahead, IJooz has announced plans to roll out permanent upgrades to all of its vending machines across the country: the new measures will include individually wrapped straws and secured compartments that only unlock once a customer completes a purchase, preventing unauthorized tampering.
In Singapore, a small, densely populated city-state famous for its strict regulation of public behavior and commitment to high levels of public cleanliness, penalties for the charges Maximilien faces are significant. A conviction for mischief can carry a maximum sentence of up to two years in prison, a fine, or both. The less severe charge of public nuisance carries a penalty of up to three months behind bars, a fine, or both. The country’s strict public health and behavior rules are well-documented, including longstanding limits on chewing gum sales and harsh penalties for littering, vandalism and other acts that threaten public order or hygiene.