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A teenager from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after allegedly defacing a sizable blue sculpture of a legendary being by affixing plastic eyes to it.

The 19-year-old, aged 19, participated remotely at the local court in the state of South Australia on that day, charged with a single charge of damaging property.

In a statement at the moment of the recent event, the local council explained that CCTV footage showed a person putting artificial eyes on the artwork, which residents have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.

The accused made no plea and informed the judge she was ill, as reported by media sources, with the magistrate advising her to secure a lawyer before her next court date in the final month of the year.

The following day the reported event, the city leader stated that repairs to the much-loved community sculpture would be costly as the stickers were impossible to be removed without harming the sculpture.

“This intentional vandalism to a cherished community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin remarked in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is costly - it is also disappointing to those members of our society who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”

The mayor said the local government would pursue the “significant” repair costs from those accountable for the vandalism.

At the time the artwork was initially suggested, it drew mixed reactions from the local community due to its price tag and appearance.

Costing A$136,000 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the sculpture depicts a legendary giant animal, with the creators inspired by an ancient marsupial ant-eater discovered in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.