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A young person from the Land Down Under has faced legal proceedings after allegedly defacing a sizable blue sculpture of a legendary being by applying plastic 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 one count of property damage.

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

Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and told the judge she was unwell, according to media sources, with the magistrate advising her to secure a legal representative before her next court date in the final month of the year.

The following day the alleged incident, the local mayor stated that restoration to the much-loved community sculpture would be costly as the adhesive eyes were impossible to be removed without damaging the sculpture.

“This intentional vandalism to a valued community art is unacceptable and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin remarked in September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also disappointing to those members of our society who have embraced Cast in Blue.”

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

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

Costing A$136,000 ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the artwork represents a mythical megafauna, with the creators inspired by an prehistoric marsupial ant-eater found in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.