A Singapore court has fined a 19-year-old French national 600 Singapore dollars (about 670,000 won) for posting a prank on social media in which he licked a straw from an orange juice vending machine and put it back.
According to AFP, Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien, 19, posted a video on Instagram on March 12 in which he took a straw from the dispenser of "iJooz," a freshly squeezed orange juice vending machine brand, at a Singapore shopping mall, licked it, and returned it to its original position. The video spread rapidly through Singapore social media accounts in early April, and after receiving a police report, authorities arrested him on charges of violating public order. He had initially faced two charges: mischief, punishable by up to two years in prison, and public nuisance, punishable by up to three months in prison.
At court on the 29th, Judge Kelly Ho imposed the fine, stating that "considering the defendant's age and the nature of the offense, no probation or community service order will be given." Prosecutors agreed to the fine, citing that the defendant had pleaded guilty early and that no harm had occurred, as no member of the public had actually used the straw. His lawyer explained that the defendant had to return home in September for his studies, making it difficult for him to carry out probation or other measures in Singapore.
iJooz, the vending machine operator, reported the incident to police immediately after learning of it, replaced all 500 straws in the machine, and carried out disinfection. The company also said it would pursue machine improvements, including individually packaged straws and locked straw compartments that open only after payment is completed.
Singapore is well known as a country that strictly enforces public hygiene regulations, including restrictions on gum possession and heavy fines for littering. The ruling was recorded as a case reaffirming that "prank content" aimed at gaining social media views can lead to actual legal punishment.
