French teen arrested for licking straws granted permission to leave Singapore, for now

A French teen facing criminal charges in Singapore for a straw licking stunt was granted permission on Wednesday to leave the country for three weeks on pledges to return.

The 18-year-old is accused of posting a video on social media of himself putting the straw he licked back into the dispenser of an orange juice vending machine.

Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien’s clip went viral and triggered a backlash that led to his arrest in Singapore, which has a reputation for not tolerating bad behaviour.

The teen’s lawyer sought permission from a judge for him to travel to Manila from May 2-25 for an internship, a key requirement for him to graduate.

The judge granted the request after the prosecution posed no objection, but asked that he must remain contactable while overseas and required a SG$5,000 ($3,900) bond.

His next appearance in the Singapore court was also rescheduled from May 22 to May 29.

The teen, who is studying in Singapore and is out on bail, was charged last Friday over the straw stunt.

He uploaded the video on Instagram knowing that it “would or would probably cause annoyance to the public”, according to court documents.

The public nuisance offence carries a jail term of up to three months and a fine.

A second charge of committing mischief said Maximilien knew that he was “likely to cause wrongful loss or damage” to iJooz, the company operating the vending machine which had to replace all 500 straws in the dispenser.

The mischief offence carries a maximum penalty of two years’ jail on conviction, plus a fine, according to the charge sheet.

Both offences were allegedly committed on March 12.

The Straits Times newspaper said the video “quickly went viral, sparking shock and concern among netizens”.

AFP