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A teenager from Australia has appeared in court after reportedly defacing a sizable blue sculpture of a mythical creature by affixing googly eyes to it.

Amelia Vanderhorst, 19 years old, participated remotely at the local court in the state of South Australia on that day, facing with a single charge of property damage.

Officials commented at the time of the recent event, the municipal authorities explained that CCTV footage showed a individual placing fake eyes on the artwork, which residents have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.

Ms Vanderhorst did not enter a plea and told the judge she was unwell, according to media sources, with the judge advising her to find a lawyer before her next court date in December.

The following day the alleged incident, the local mayor said that repairs to the popular public artwork would be costly as the stickers could not be detached without harming the sculpture.

“This wilful damage to a valued public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin remarked in September. “It is not harmless fun, it is pricey - it is also disappointing to those members of our society who have welcomed the Blue Blob.”

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

When the sculpture was initially suggested, it received mixed reactions from the local community due to its price tag and appearance.

Costing 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture depicts a mythical megafauna, with the creators inspired by an prehistoric anteater-like marsupial found in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.