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A teenager from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after allegedly defacing a large blue sculpture of a mythical creature by affixing googly 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 a single charge of damaging property.

Officials commented at the time of the September incident, the local council explained that surveillance video showed a person putting fake 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 unwell, according to media sources, with the judge recommending her to secure a legal representative before her next court date in the final month of the year.

The following day the alleged incident, the city leader said that repairs to the popular public artwork would be costly as the stickers were impossible to be detached without damaging the art piece.

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

The mayor added the local government would seek the “substantial” repair costs from those responsible for the damage.

When the sculpture was initially suggested, it drew mixed reactions from the area residents due to its price tag and appearance.

Costing 136,000 Australian dollars ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the artwork represents a legendary giant animal, with the sculpture’s designers influenced by an prehistoric marsupial ant-eater found in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.