SINGAPORE, May 29 — A French teenager accused of licking a straw from a vending machine and placing it back before uploading a video of the act online has returned to Singapore after an overseas school trip, with his case adjourned to June 26.
According to The Straits Times, 18-year-old Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien appeared in court after being granted permission to leave Singapore earlier this month for a school-related trip to the Philippines.
His lawyer, Kanthan Raghavendra of Kalidass Law Corporation, had previously told the court that the trip was a graduation requirement.
Maximilien, a student at ESSEC Business School in Singapore's one-north district, was expected to be away from May 2 to May 25.
The teenager was charged on April 24 with mischief and causing a public nuisance over an incident alleged to have taken place at Goldhill Centre along Thomson Road on or around March 12.
Court documents allege that Maximilien removed a straw from an iJooz vending machine, licked it and then returned it to the dispenser.
He is also accused of recording the act and posting the video on social media.
The clip spread rapidly online after surfacing on March 12, drawing widespread criticism and concern from members of the public.
Documents tendered in court stated that iJooz, which operates vending machines selling freshly squeezed orange juice, replaced all 500 straws in the dispenser following the alleged incident.
Under Singapore law, a person convicted of mischief can face up to two years' imprisonment, a fine, or both.
The offence of causing a public nuisance carries a maximum penalty of three months' jail, a fine of up to S$2,000 (RM6,800), or both.
The case will return to court on June 26.
