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A young person from the Land Down Under has faced legal proceedings after reportedly defacing a sizable blue sculpture of a legendary being by applying plastic eyes to it.

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

In a statement at the moment of the recent event, the local council explained that CCTV footage showed a person placing fake eyes on the sculpture, 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 magistrate recommending her to find a lawyer before her next court date in December.

A day after the alleged incident, the city leader stated that repairs to the popular public artwork would be expensive as the stickers could not be removed without damaging the sculpture.

“This wilful damage to a cherished public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in 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.”

The mayor said the council would pursue the “substantial” repair costs from those responsible 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 design.

Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the artwork represents a mythical megafauna, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an prehistoric anteater-like marsupial discovered in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.