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A teenager from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after reportedly vandalizing a sizable art piece of a legendary being by applying plastic eyes to it.

Amelia Vanderhorst, 19 years old, appeared remotely at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in South Australia on Tuesday, facing with one count of property damage.

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

The accused made no plea and told the judge she was unwell, as reported by news outlets, with the judge recommending her to secure a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in December.

A day after the reported event, the local mayor stated that restoration to the popular public artwork would be expensive as the adhesive eyes were impossible to be removed without damaging the art piece.

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

She added the council would seek the “significant” restoration expenses from those responsible for the damage.

When the sculpture was first proposed, it drew varied responses from the area residents due to its cost and appearance.

Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the artwork represents a legendary giant animal, with the creators inspired by an prehistoric marsupial ant-eater found in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.