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A young person from the Land Down Under has faced legal proceedings after reportedly defacing a large art piece of a mythical creature by affixing googly eyes to it.

The 19-year-old, aged 19, appeared via phone at the local court in the state of South Australia on Tuesday, charged with one count of property damage.

Officials commented at the moment of the recent event, the municipal authorities said that surveillance video showed a person putting artificial eyes on the artwork, which locals have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.

The accused did not enter a plea and told the court she was ill, according to media sources, with the judge recommending her to find a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in the final month of the year.

A day after the reported event, the city leader said that repairs to the much-loved community sculpture would be costly as the stickers could not be removed without harming the sculpture.

“This wilful damage to a cherished community art is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in mid-September. “It is not harmless fun, it is pricey - it is also disappointing to those people of our society who have embraced the Blue Blob.”

She added the local government would pursue the “significant” restoration expenses from those accountable for the damage.

At the time the sculpture was initially suggested, it drew mixed reactions 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 depicts a legendary giant animal, with the creators influenced by an ancient marsupial ant-eater discovered in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.