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A teenager from Australia has appeared in court after allegedly vandalizing a large art piece of a legendary being by affixing googly eyes to it.

Amelia Vanderhorst, 19 years old, participated via phone at the local court in South Australia on Tuesday, charged with a single charge of damaging property.

Officials commented at the moment of the recent event, the local council said that CCTV footage captured a person putting artificial eyes on the artwork, which residents have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.

Ms Vanderhorst did not enter a plea and told the judge she was unwell, as reported by media sources, with the judge advising her to secure a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in December.

A day after the alleged incident, the city leader said that restoration to the much-loved community sculpture would be expensive as the stickers were impossible to be detached without harming the sculpture.

“This intentional vandalism to a cherished public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin said in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also disappointing to those members of our community who have embraced the Blue Blob.”

The mayor added the council would pursue the “substantial” repair costs from those responsible for the damage.

At the time the sculpture was initially suggested, it drew varied responses from the area residents due to its price tag and appearance.

Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the artwork depicts a legendary giant animal, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an ancient marsupial ant-eater found in nearby caverns that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.