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A teenager from Australia has appeared in court after allegedly vandalizing a sizable blue sculpture of a legendary being by applying plastic eyes to it.

The 19-year-old, 19 years old, participated remotely at the local court in the state of South Australia on that day, charged with one count of property damage.

Officials commented at the time of the recent event, the local council said that CCTV footage captured a individual putting fake eyes on the sculpture, which locals have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.

Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and informed the court she was ill, according to media sources, with the magistrate recommending her to secure a legal representative before her next court date in December.

The following day the reported event, the city leader said that repairs to the much-loved community sculpture would be expensive as the stickers were impossible to be detached without damaging the sculpture.

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

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

When the artwork was first proposed, it received varied responses from the area residents due to its cost and appearance.

Costing 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture represents a legendary giant animal, with the creators inspired by an ancient anteater-like marsupial discovered in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.