A teenager who posted a video of himself licking a straw and returning it to an iJooz vending machine was fined S$600 (US$465) for public nuisance on Thursday (Jul 30).
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, a 19-year-old French national, pleaded guilty to one count of public nuisance, with a second charge of mischief taken into consideration.
On Mar 12 this year, Maximilien attended a boxing session at Goldhill Centre.
After this, he went to an iJooz vending machine there and bought a drink.
He took a straw from the machine, licked about half of it and placed the contaminated straw back on the straw dispenser, filming the process.
He then collected the drink, took the contaminated straw and left.
Maximilien later edited the footage and uploaded it to Instagram.
The act caused iJooz to replace all 500 straws in the dispenser, worth S$5 in total, the charge states.
BOTH SIDES CALL FOR FINE
The prosecution was in agreement with the defence that a fine was suitable.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Maximilian Chew, who took over the case from a state prosecuting officer, said a fine would suffice because of Maximilien’s youth and the circumstances of the case.
He left the quantum to the court’s discretion.
The previous hearing had been adjourned for the prosecution to check the status of Maximilien’s student pass on conviction.
“I understand that ICA will make that decision having regard to all relevant considerations including circumstances of the case and the outcome of today’s proceedings,” said Mr Chew.
He added that the prosecution’s sentencing position is therefore independent of the outcome of Maximilien’s student pass.
Defence lawyer Kalidass Murugaiyan said the defence had considered pushing for probation or a community-based sentence.
However, the family has trouble getting someone to be a guardian for him in Singapore, as his father is working in France, so there will be logistical difficulties for him to be on probation.
“The contaminated straw was not used by anyone,” said the lawyer.
“Unfortunately, he made the decision to share it within his Instagram circle … someone in his circle, within his Instagram circle of contacts, had taken a screen video of it and forwarded it to a media outlet and that’s how it went viral.”
He said this was to explain how it became something that “may have caused public disquiet”.
“He’s truly sorry for having caused all this trouble and he realises that what appeared to him at that time as something perhaps playful has turned out to be something very consequential and his family has also counselled him on the importance of taking responsibility for his actions,” said Mr Murugaiyan.
He said the teenager’s parents have “every intention” of ensuring he pays the fine.
District Judge Kelly Ho said probation or other community-based sentences should ordinarily be the port of call given Maximilien’s age and the nature and circumstances of the case.
However, given the practical and logistical difficulties, she agreed a fine was suitable and agreed with the figure submitted by the defence.
The prosecution did not seek a compensation order.
For public nuisance, he could have been jailed for up to three months, fined up to S$2,000, or both. (CNA)
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