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A young person from Australia has appeared in court after reportedly vandalizing a large blue sculpture of a legendary being by affixing plastic eyes to it.

The 19-year-old, aged 19, appeared via phone at the local court in South Australia on Tuesday, charged with a single charge of property damage.

In a statement at the moment of the September incident, the municipal authorities explained that CCTV footage showed a individual placing artificial eyes on the sculpture, which residents have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.

Ms Vanderhorst did not enter a plea and informed the judge she was unwell, according to news outlets, with the judge advising her to find a legal representative before her next court date in the final month of the year.

A day after the reported event, the city leader said that restoration to the popular public artwork would be costly as the adhesive eyes were impossible to be detached without harming the art piece.

“This wilful damage to a cherished public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin remarked in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also frustrating to those people of our community who have welcomed the Blue Blob.”

The mayor added the local government would pursue the “significant” restoration expenses from those accountable for the damage.

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 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the artwork represents a mythical megafauna, with the sculpture’s designers influenced by an ancient anteater-like marsupial found in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.