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A young person from Australia has faced legal proceedings after allegedly vandalizing a large blue sculpture of a legendary being by affixing googly eyes to it.

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

Officials commented at the moment of the September incident, the municipal authorities explained that surveillance video captured a individual placing fake eyes on the artwork, which locals have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.

Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and informed the judge she was unwell, as reported by media sources, with the magistrate advising her to find a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in the final month of the year.

The following day the alleged incident, the city leader stated that restoration to the much-loved public artwork would be costly as the adhesive eyes could not be detached without harming the art piece.

“This intentional vandalism to a valued public artwork is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in mid-September. “It is not harmless fun, it is costly - it is also disappointing to those members of our community who have embraced Cast in Blue.”

The mayor said the council would pursue the “significant” restoration expenses from those accountable for the damage.

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

Costing 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the sculpture represents a mythical megafauna, with the creators inspired by an prehistoric anteater-like marsupial found in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.