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A young person from Australia has appeared in court after allegedly vandalizing a sizable art piece of a legendary being by affixing plastic eyes to it.

Amelia Vanderhorst, aged 19, participated via phone at the local court in the state of South Australia on that day, facing with one count of property damage.

Officials commented at the time of the September incident, the local council said that CCTV footage showed a person putting fake eyes on the artwork, which locals have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.

Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and told the judge she was unwell, as reported by 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 reported event, the city leader said that repairs to the much-loved public artwork would be expensive as the stickers could not be removed without harming the sculpture.

“This intentional vandalism to a cherished community art is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor 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 added the local government would seek the “substantial” restoration expenses from those accountable for the damage.

When the sculpture was first proposed, it received mixed reactions from the area residents due to its cost and design.

Costing A$136,000 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the artwork represents a legendary giant animal, with the creators influenced by an ancient anteater-like marsupial discovered in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.