French Student Fined in Singapore for Viral Straw-Licking Prank

A French student was fined S$600 (US$465) in Singapore for licking a straw from a vending machine and returning it, a prank that went viral on social media. The incident led to his arrest and subsequent conviction for public nuisance.

30 Jul, 01:51 — 30 Jul, 07:26

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Why this matters

This story highlights Singapore's strict laws regarding public order and hygiene, even for seemingly minor offenses, and serves as a cautionary tale for individuals, particularly tourists, about local regulations and the consequences of actions posted on social media.

Key entitiesDidier Gaspard Owen Maximilien Singapore iJooz

The Story

What 14 sources agree on, dispute, and miss

What sources agree on

A 19-year-old French student was fined S$600 in Singapore.
The student pleaded guilty to a public nuisance charge.
The fine was for filming himself licking a straw and returning it to an orange juice vending machine.
The video of the prank went viral on social media.

Key claims3 agreed · 3 unverified

✓

The student was fined 600 Singapore dollars.

agreed·VnExpressnos24urDWhindustan-times+5

✓

The fine is equivalent to US$465.

agreed·VnExpressSCMPhindustan-timesBBC

✓

The fine is equivalent to approximately 400-406 Euros.

agreed·nos24urdie-presse

The student's lawyers stated he was 'truly sorry' for causing trouble.

unverified·BBC

The student faced possible consequences for his right to remain in Singapore.

unverified·DW

The student could have faced imprisonment.

unverified·die-presse

Coverage gaps

The student's full name, Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien

Reportedindex-hrle-figaro

MissingVnExpressnosyle-uutiset+9

The student took the contaminated straw with him after collecting the drink

Reportedchannel-news-asia

MissingVnExpressnosyle-uutiset+10

The student was previously suspected of mischief and causing public nuisance

Reportedyle-uutiset

MissingVnExpressnos24ur+10

Coverage matrix(14 sources)

1–10 of 14

	BBC	yle-uutiset	nos	DW	svenska-dagbladet	aftonbladet	SCMP	le-figaro	die-presse	index-hr
The student's full name, Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien
The student took the contaminated straw with him after collecting the drink
The student was previously suspected of mischief and causing public nuisance

Covered Divergent Not mentioned

The Story

Analyzing sources…

Source Diversity

Excellent (92/100)

14 sources33/33

Spectrum spread— 4/5 buckets covered25/33

Far L1

Far Left (1)

aftonbladet

Left4

Left (4)

yle-uutisetDWindex-hrBBC

Center4

Center (4)

VnExpressnos24urSCMP

Right5

Right (5)

svenska-dagbladethindustan-timesdie-pressele-figarochannel-news-asia

Far R

Geographic diversity— 13 regions34/34

Sweden2Vietnam1Netherlands1Finland1Slovenia1Germany1India1Croatia1Austria1Hong Kong1UK1France1Singapore1

Political spectrum

LeftCenterRight

aftonbladet

index-hr

yle-uutiset

bbc

vnexpress

nos

24ur

scmp

hindustan-times

channel-news-asia

svenska-dagbladet

die-presse

le-figaro

Outlet rating This story

SourceOutletiGeneral editorial lean of the outletStoryiHow they covered this specific storyToneFactuality

aftonbladetcenter-leftleftneutral—brief, factual reporting of the fine

index-hrcenter-leftcenter-leftneutral—includes student's full name, focuses on guilty plea

yle-uutisetcentercenter-left

Coverage leans: balanced

The coverage is largely factual and neutral across outlets, focusing on the legal outcome of the prank without significant political framing or advocacy.

Sources

Showing 6 of 14 sources

BBCHigh5h ago

Singapore fines French teen $465 for viral straw-licking stunt

The 19-year-old was "truly sorry" for causing trouble, his lawyers said.

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DWHigh2h ago

French student fined over Singapore straw licking prank

A social media stunt involving a single straw has left a French student facing a hefty fine — and possible consequences for his right to remain in Singapore.

Read full article →

SCMPMostly Factual5h ago

Singapore court fines French teenager US$465 for viral straw-licking prank

A French teenager who posted a video of himself licking a straw and returning it to an iJooz vending machine in Singapore was fined S$600 (US$465) for public nuisance on Thursday. The clip had gone viral after someone in his Instagram circle recorded it and forwarded the footage to a media outlet, the defence said. Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien, 19, pleaded guilty to one count of public nuisance, with a second charge of mischief taken into consideration. On March 12, Maximilien attended a...

By CNA

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hindustan-timesMostly Factual2h ago

French student fined $465 for licking vending machine straw before putting it back in Singapore

A French student in Singapore was fined S$600 after pleading guilty to filming himself licking a vending machine straw for social media.

Read full article →

channel-news-asiaMostly Factual6h ago

Teen who licked iJooz straw and returned it to vending machine gets S$600 fine

The 19-year-old took the contaminated straw with him after collecting the drink.

Read full article →

VnExpressMixed54m ago

Student fined for straw-licking stunt in Singapore

A French student was fined 600 Singapore dollars (US$465) after pleading guilty Thursday to a public nuisance charge in Singapore for filming himself licking a straw from an orange juice vending machine and putting it back in what lawyers described as a social media stunt.

Read full article →