A French teenager faces up to two years in a Singapore prison for allegedly licking the straw of an orange juice vending machine and then returning the straw to the dispenser.
Singapore, a small but highly developed and wealthy financial center in Southeast Asia, is well known for its strict laws.
According to Singapore Police, the incident occurred at a shopping center on March 12. Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilian, 18, was charged with two crimes.
The first is public nuisance, which is punishable by up to three months in prison or a fine of up to S$2,000 (approximately $1,570). A second mischief is punishable by imprisonment for up to two years, a fine, or both.
According to local media reports, the boy allegedly filmed himself committing the crime and posted it on social media, which quickly went viral and authorities began an investigation.
According to local media, IJOOZ, the company that operates the vending machines, reportedly had to replace all 500 straws in the machines they were using.
The teenager is a student at the Singapore branch of ESSEC Business School, a French institution with several international campuses. The school confirmed the student’s attendance, said it was providing support to the student and was in close contact with his family, but declined to comment further, citing the ongoing legal process.
CNN has reached out to IJOOZ and his attorney for comment.
Bail was set at 5,000 Singapore dollars (approximately $3,920), according to Singapore’s judicial website. The next court date is May 22nd.
This is not the first time foreign teenagers have fallen foul of Singapore’s strict laws.
One of the most high-profile cases occurred in 1993, when American Michael Fay was arrested for possession of stolen property and vandalizing several cars by spray painting.
Fay was sentenced to four months in prison and six strokes of the cane, but the sentence was reduced to four after the incident caused an international uproar and then-US President Bill Clinton intervened.
Singapore insisted that it was important for even foreigners to abide by its own laws, and carried out the flogging despite strong pressure from the United States, which temporarily strained relations between the United States and Singapore.
