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A teenager from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after allegedly defacing a large blue sculpture of a legendary being by affixing googly eyes to it.

The 19-year-old, 19 years old, participated remotely at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in South Australia on Tuesday, charged with a single charge of damaging property.

Officials commented at the moment of the recent event, the municipal authorities explained that surveillance video captured a person placing fake eyes on the artwork, which residents have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.

The accused did not enter a plea and told the judge she was ill, as reported by news outlets, with the judge recommending her to secure a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in the final month of the year.

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

“This intentional vandalism to a cherished community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin remarked in mid-September. “It is not harmless fun, it is costly - it is also disappointing to those people of our society who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”

She added the council would pursue the “significant” restoration expenses from those accountable for the damage.

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

Costing A$136,000 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the sculpture represents a mythical megafauna, with the creators inspired by an ancient marsupial ant-eater found in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.