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A teenager from Australia has faced legal proceedings after allegedly vandalizing a large blue sculpture of a mythical creature by applying googly eyes to it.

The 19-year-old, aged 19, appeared via phone at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in the state of South Australia on that day, facing with a single charge of property damage.

In a statement at the moment of the recent event, the local council said that CCTV footage showed a person putting artificial eyes on the sculpture, which locals have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.

Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and informed the judge she was unwell, according to news outlets, with the judge recommending her to find a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in the final month of the year.

The following day the reported event, the local mayor stated that repairs to the popular public artwork would be costly as the stickers were impossible to be removed without harming the art piece.

“This wilful damage to a valued community art is unacceptable and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin said in mid-September. “It is not harmless fun, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those members of our community who have welcomed the Blue Blob.”

She said the local government would seek the “substantial” repair costs from those responsible for the vandalism.

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

Costing A$136,000 ($89,000; £68,000), the sculpture represents a mythical megafauna, with the creators inspired by an ancient anteater-like marsupial discovered in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.