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A young person from the Land Down Under has faced legal proceedings after reportedly defacing a large blue sculpture of a mythical creature by applying googly eyes to it.

The 19-year-old, aged 19, appeared via phone at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in the state of South Australia on that day, facing with a single charge of property damage.

In a statement at the time of the recent event, the municipal authorities said that surveillance video showed a individual putting artificial eyes on the sculpture, which locals have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.

Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and informed the judge she was ill, as reported by news outlets, with the magistrate recommending her to find a lawyer before her next court date in December.

A day after the alleged incident, the city leader said that restoration to the much-loved public artwork would be expensive as the adhesive eyes could not be removed without harming the art piece.

“This wilful damage to a valued community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in September. “It is not harmless fun, it is pricey - it is also disappointing to those members of our community who have embraced the Blue Blob.”

The mayor said the local government would seek the “substantial” restoration expenses from those accountable for the vandalism.

At the time the artwork was initially suggested, it received mixed reactions from the area residents due to its cost and design.

Priced at A$136,000 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture represents a mythical megafauna, with the creators inspired by an prehistoric marsupial ant-eater found in nearby caverns that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.