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A teenager from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after reportedly vandalizing a sizable art piece of a mythical creature by affixing plastic eyes to it.

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

Officials commented at the time of the recent event, the municipal authorities said that CCTV footage showed a person placing fake eyes on the sculpture, which residents have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.

The accused did not enter a plea and informed the judge she was unwell, as reported by news outlets, with the judge recommending her to secure a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in December.

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

“This intentional vandalism to a cherished community art is unacceptable and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin remarked in mid-September. “It is not harmless fun, it is pricey - it is also frustrating to those people of our community who have embraced the Blue Blob.”

The mayor said the local government would pursue the “significant” restoration expenses from those responsible for the vandalism.

At the time the artwork was initially suggested, it received varied responses from the local community due to its cost and design.

Costing A$136,000 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the artwork represents a mythical megafauna, with the creators inspired by an ancient anteater-like marsupial found in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.