A reckless public stunt pulled by an 18-year-old French exchange student has sparked public outrage and legal consequences in Singapore, after a video of him tampering with a public vending machine went viral across social media platforms.
Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien, who currently pursues studies at the Singapore campus of Essec Business School, is facing two formal charges: mischief and public nuisance, following the incident that unfolded on March 12 at a local shopping mall. According to local media reports, Maximilien filmed himself licking a reusable straw from an iJooz orange juice vending machine before placing it back into the machine’s dispenser. He then shared the clip as an Instagram Story with the provocative caption “city is not safe”, before the footage was picked up and shared widely across local community pages and mainstream news outlets.
Public reaction to the stunt was overwhelmingly negative, with many members of the Singaporean public expressing disgust and concern over the unhygienic act, particularly in a public shared space. In response to the incident, iJooz, the vending machine operator, took immediate precautionary measures: the company filed a formal police report, activated full sanitation protocols for all its on-site machines, and made the decision to replace all 500 straws held in the affected dispenser to eliminate any public health risk.
If Maximilien is found guilty on both of the charges brought against him, he faces severe legal penalties under Singaporean law: a maximum cumulative prison sentence of over two years, plus fines amounting to thousands of Singapore dollars. Local media reports confirm that Maximilien’s parents have traveled to Singapore to support their son, and a representative from his university has agreed to act as his bailor. Essec Business School’s Singapore branch has also confirmed it is conducting an internal investigation into the incident, alongside the official court proceedings. Maximilien’s case is scheduled for its next court hearing on May 22.