A French teenager studying in Singapore has been charged after allegedly filming himself licking a straw and putting it back in an orange juice vending machine on March 12.
Court documents identified the teenager as 18-year-old Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien.
The documents said Maximilien uploaded the video to Instagram, knowing it would likely cause public annoyance.
Prosecutors charged him with public nuisance, an offence that carries a maximum penalty of three months in jail and a fine.
A second charge accused Maximilien of mischief for allegedly causing wrongful loss or damage to iJooz, the company operating the vending machine.
The charge sheet said iJooz had to replace all 500 straws in the dispenser after the incident.
The mischief offence carries a maximum of two years’ jail and a fine on conviction, according to the charge sheet. Authorities lodged the charges before a district court last Friday.
The next hearing will take place on May 22. The Straits Times reported that the Instagram video quickly went viral and sparked concern among netizens.
