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A young person from Australia has faced legal proceedings after allegedly defacing a sizable blue sculpture of a legendary being by applying plastic eyes to it.

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

In a statement at the time of the recent event, the local council explained that surveillance video showed a person putting fake eyes on the artwork, which residents have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.

Ms Vanderhorst did not enter a plea and informed the judge she was unwell, 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.

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

“This intentional vandalism to a cherished public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also disappointing to those people of our community who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”

She added the local government would seek the “significant” repair costs from those responsible for the damage.

At the time the artwork was initially suggested, it received varied responses from the local community due to its cost and appearance.

Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture depicts a legendary giant animal, with the creators inspired by an prehistoric marsupial ant-eater discovered in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.