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A teenager from Australia has faced legal proceedings after reportedly defacing a large blue sculpture of a mythical creature by affixing googly eyes to it.

The 19-year-old, 19 years old, appeared 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 municipal authorities said that CCTV footage showed a individual placing artificial eyes on the sculpture, which locals have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.

The accused did not enter a plea and told the judge she was ill, according to media sources, with the magistrate recommending her to find a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in December.

The following day the reported event, the city leader stated that repairs to the much-loved community sculpture would be costly as the adhesive eyes could not be removed without harming the art piece.

“This intentional vandalism to a valued public artwork is unacceptable and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin said in September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those people of our society who have embraced the Blue Blob.”

The mayor added the local government would pursue the “substantial” restoration expenses from those responsible for the vandalism.

When the sculpture was initially suggested, it received varied responses from the area residents due to its cost and appearance.

Priced at A$136,000 ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture represents a legendary giant animal, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an ancient anteater-like marsupial found in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.