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A teenager from Australia has appeared in court after reportedly vandalizing a large blue sculpture of a legendary being by affixing googly eyes to it.

Amelia Vanderhorst, 19 years old, participated remotely at the local court in the state of South Australia on Tuesday, charged with one count of property damage.

Officials commented at the moment of the recent event, the municipal authorities said that surveillance video showed a individual putting artificial eyes on the sculpture, which residents have nicknamed the “Blue Blob”.

Ms Vanderhorst did not enter a plea and told the court she was ill, according to news outlets, with the magistrate recommending her to find a legal representative 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 adhesive eyes could not be detached without damaging the art piece.

“This wilful damage to a valued public artwork is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those people of our society who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”

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

At the time the artwork was initially suggested, it drew varied responses from the local community due to its price tag and appearance.

Priced at A$136,000 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the sculpture depicts a mythical megafauna, with the sculpture’s designers influenced by an ancient anteater-like marsupial found in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.