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A young person from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after reportedly vandalizing 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.

In a statement at the moment of the recent event, the local council explained that surveillance video showed a individual putting artificial eyes on the sculpture, which residents have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.

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

A day after the alleged incident, the city leader stated that repairs to the much-loved community sculpture would be expensive as the adhesive eyes could not be removed without damaging the sculpture.

“This intentional vandalism to a cherished community art is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those members of our community who have embraced Cast in Blue.”

She said the council would seek the “substantial” repair costs from those responsible for the damage.

When the artwork was initially suggested, it drew varied responses from the area residents due to its price tag and design.

Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the artwork depicts a mythical megafauna, with the creators influenced by an prehistoric anteater-like marsupial found in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.