SINGAPORE (AFP) — 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 to social media a video of himself putting the straw he licked back into the dispenser on 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 behavior.
The teen’s lawyer sought permission from a judge for him to travel to Manila from 2 to 25 May 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 5,000 Singaporean dollars bond.
His next appearance in the Singapore court was also rescheduled from 22 to 29 May.
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 offense 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 offense carries a punishment of up to two years in jail on conviction and a fine, according to the charge sheet.
Both offenses were allegedly committed on 12 March.
The Straits Times newspaper said the video “quickly went viral, sparking shock and concern among netizens.”