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A teenager from Australia has appeared in court after allegedly vandalizing a sizable art piece of a legendary being by applying plastic eyes to it.

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

Officials commented at the time of the September incident, the local council said that CCTV footage captured a individual placing fake eyes on the artwork, which residents have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.

The accused made no plea and informed the court she was unwell, according to media sources, with the magistrate recommending her to find a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in December.

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

“This intentional vandalism to a valued community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is costly - it is also disappointing to those members of our society who have embraced the Blue Blob.”

The mayor added the council would pursue the “substantial” repair costs from those responsible for the damage.

When the artwork was first proposed, it drew mixed reactions from the area residents due to its price tag and appearance.

Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the artwork represents a legendary giant animal, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an prehistoric marsupial ant-eater found in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.