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

The 19-year-old, 19 years old, participated remotely at the local court in South Australia on Tuesday, charged with one count of damaging property.

In a statement at the moment of the September incident, the local council said that surveillance video captured a individual putting artificial eyes on the sculpture, which residents have nicknamed the “Blue Blob”.

Ms Vanderhorst did not enter a plea and told the judge she was ill, as reported by media sources, with the judge recommending her to find a legal representative before her next court date in the final month of the year.

A day after 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 harming the art piece.

“This intentional vandalism to a cherished public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin said in mid-September. “It is not harmless fun, it is pricey - it is also frustrating to those people of our community who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”

The mayor added the council would pursue the “significant” repair costs from those accountable for the vandalism.

When the sculpture was initially suggested, it drew varied responses from the area residents due to its price tag and appearance.

Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture represents a mythical megafauna, with the creators inspired by an prehistoric anteater-like marsupial discovered in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.