French student accused of licking iJooz straw to plead guilty on Jul. 30, pending ICA check on student pass status

Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien, the French teenager who posted a video of himself licking a straw and returning it to an iJooz vending machine, was due to plead guilty on Jul. 13.

However, the case was adjourned at the prosecution's request.

According to a report by CNA, the prosecution said it was checking with the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) on whether the 19-year-old's student pass would be cancelled if he is convicted.

The state prosecuting officer said the outcome could affect the prosecution's sentencing position.

The case

The alleged incident took place at about 2pm on Mar. 12 at Goldhill Centre along Thomson Road.

Maximilien had allegedly filmed himself removing a straw from an iJooz vending machine, licking it and placing it back into the dispenser.

He allegedly uploaded the video to his Instagram Story on the same day, where it later went viral.

iJooz later replaced all 500 straws in the dispenser, at the cost of S$5.

Maximilien was subsequently charged on Apr. 24 with one count of mischief and one count of public nuisance.

Student pass and probation discussed in court

According to CNA, the judge asked Maximilien's lawyers about his status in Singapore and the defence's request for probation during the hearing.

The defence said Maximilien is in Singapore on a student pass and is not an exchange student, adding that his programme requires him to be in France from September until the end of 2026.

They said that if he does not complete the overseas stint, he would be unable to complete his course.

When asked how probation would work if Maximilien had to leave Singapore, the defence counsel said the issue could be assessed if the court called for a probation suitability report.

He added that he was working with his client to explore whether Maximilien could return to Singapore for interviews at certain periods if required.

Maximilien's school, ESSEC Business School, had previously said it was aware of the incident and that internal investigations were underway.

In response, the state prosecuting officer said the prosecution was seeking clarification from ICA on whether Maximilien's student pass would be cancelled upon conviction.

She said the outcome could affect the prosecution's sentencing position and requested an adjournment of between four and six weeks while awaiting ICA's response.

She added that the prosecution would not object if the court granted a shorter adjournment.

The court adjourned the matter, with Maximilien's guilty plea now scheduled for Jul. 30.

If found guilty of mischief, one could be jailed for up to two years, fined, or both.

If convicted of public nuisance, one faces a jail term of up to three months, a fine of up to S$2,000, or both.