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A teenager from Australia has appeared in court after allegedly vandalizing a sizable blue sculpture of a legendary being by affixing googly eyes to it.

Amelia Vanderhorst, aged 19, appeared remotely at the local court in South Australia on Tuesday, facing with one count of property damage.

Officials commented at the moment of the recent event, the local council explained that surveillance video captured a person placing fake eyes on the artwork, which locals have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.

The accused did not enter a plea and informed the judge she was ill, as reported by media sources, with the magistrate advising her to find a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in December.

A day after the alleged incident, the city leader stated that repairs to the popular public artwork would be costly as the adhesive eyes were impossible to be detached without harming the sculpture.

“This intentional vandalism to a cherished public artwork is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in 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” repair costs from those accountable for the damage.

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

Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the artwork depicts a legendary giant animal, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an ancient anteater-like marsupial found in nearby caverns that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.