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A young person from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after allegedly vandalizing a sizable blue sculpture of a mythical creature by applying googly eyes to it.

The 19-year-old, aged 19, appeared via phone at the local court in the state of South Australia on Tuesday, charged with a single charge of property damage.

In a statement at the moment of the September incident, the municipal authorities explained that surveillance video captured a individual putting artificial eyes on the sculpture, which residents have nicknamed the “Blue Blob”.

The accused made no plea and told the court she was ill, according to media sources, with the magistrate recommending her to find a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in December.

A day after the reported event, the city leader stated that repairs to the much-loved public artwork would be costly as the stickers could not be detached without damaging the sculpture.

“This intentional vandalism to a valued public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin remarked in September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is costly - it is also disappointing to those people of our society who have embraced Cast in Blue.”

She said the local government would seek the “significant” restoration expenses from those accountable for the damage.

When the sculpture was initially suggested, it drew mixed reactions from the local community due to its cost and appearance.

Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the sculpture represents a legendary giant animal, with the sculpture’s designers influenced by an ancient marsupial ant-eater found in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.