French teen who licked vending machine straw faces jail in Singapore

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A French teenager who allegedly licked a straw from an orange juice vending machine before putting it back into its dispenser has been charged with committing mischief and being a public nuisance in Singapore.

Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien, 18, had uploaded a video on Instagram of himself performing the act, according to local reports. The video was later widely circulated.

The company that owns the vending machine, iJooz, says it replaced all 500 straws in the machine's dispenser after the alleged incident.

If found guilty of both charges Maximilien faces a maximum jail sentence of more than two years and thousands of dollars in fines.

The alleged incident took place on 12 March at a shopping centre in Singapore.

Maximilien had posted his video as an Instagram Story with a caption stating "city is not safe", according to news reports.

Many online had reacted with disgust to his video, which was reposted on a community page and picked up by local news outlets.

iJooz told local news outlet Channel NewsAsia (CNA) that it had lodged a police report and initiated sanitation protocols and inspections at its machine.

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Maximilien is currently studying in the Singapore branch of the Essec Business School.

A spokesperson for the school had earlier told local news outlets that it was aware of the incident and that internal investigations were under way.

His lawyers had earlier told CNA that Maximilien's parents had flown over to Singapore and that a representative from his school would be his bailor.

His case will be heard again in court on 22 May.