Singapore fines Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien $465
Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien, a 19-year-old French student in Singapore, was fined S$600 ($465) on Thursday after pleading guilty to public nuisance for licking a straw from an orange juice vending machine and putting it back—then posting the viral Instagram stunt that sparked nationwide outrage.
Key Takeaways
- Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien pleaded guilty to one count of public nuisance and was fined S$600 ($465; £348).
- The March Instagram video showed him licking an iJooz orange-juice vending-machine straw and returning it to the dispenser.
- Operator iJooz replaced all 500 straws; a related mischief charge was taken into consideration at sentencing.
- His lawyer said he is “truly sorry”; immigration authorities will decide whether he keeps his student pass.
The case, covered across Streaming & TV Alerts and international news desks, turned a short social clip into a courtroom story about hygiene, virality, and Singapore’s strict public-order rules.
What did Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien do?
According to BBC News, Maximilien licked a straw from an iJooz freshly squeezed orange juice machine and placed it back in the dispenser. He filmed the act and posted it on Instagram with the caption “city is not safe.”
The stunt took place on 12 March at Goldhill Centre after a boxing workout, Channel News Asia reported via the BBC. CNN said it happened at a shopping mall in March and that he was charged in April after the video spread rapidly.
Many online reacted with disgust. The clip was reposted on a community page and picked up by local outlets. iJooz filed a police report, sanitized the dispenser, and replaced all 500 straws in the machine.
Why was Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien fined instead of jailed?
Public nuisance in Singapore can bring up to a S$2,000 fine, three months in jail, or both. Both the prosecution and the defence sought a fine.
Prosecutors said the staged act was meant for social media and risked undermining confidence in a commonly used vending machine. They also noted he retrieved the straw himself, no member of the public used it, there was no evidence of harm, he was young, and he pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.
CNN reported another charge of mischief was taken into consideration. The court imposed the fine and did not order a community-based sentence after weighing mitigating factors. DW said the direct cost of the straws was only S$5, though the case drew nationwide attention.
How did Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien respond in court?
Defence counsel Kalidass Murugayan said Maximilien has been living in Singapore without family support and expressed deep remorse. The lawyer told the court the video was a social media stunt and that Maximilien later removed the contaminated straw to use for his own drink, meaning it was never intended for anyone else.
“He is truly sorry for having caused all this trouble,” the lawyer said, adding that what seemed playful had become “very consequential,” per The Straits Times as quoted by the BBC. His parents will ensure he paid the fine himself. The student left court without speaking to reporters.
Maximilien studies at ESSEC Business School in Singapore. Prosecutors said he would also be in France from September to December as part of his studies, and that immigration authorities will decide if he can keep his student pass after considering all relevant factors.
iJooz has said it would upgrade machines with measures such as individually packaged straws and compartments that unlock only after a transaction is completed—underscoring why a viral clip still matters offline.