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A young person from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after reportedly vandalizing a sizable blue sculpture of a legendary being by affixing plastic eyes to it.

Amelia Vanderhorst, 19 years old, participated remotely 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 municipal authorities said that CCTV footage showed a individual placing artificial 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 magistrate advising her to secure a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in December.

The following day the alleged incident, the city leader stated that restoration to the popular public artwork would be costly as the adhesive eyes could not be removed without damaging the art piece.

“This wilful damage to a valued community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin remarked in September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is costly - it is also disappointing to those members of our community who have embraced the Blue Blob.”

The mayor said the local government would pursue the “substantial” restoration expenses from those accountable for the vandalism.

At the time the sculpture was first proposed, it drew mixed reactions from the area residents due to its price tag and design.

Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the artwork depicts a legendary giant animal, with the creators influenced by an ancient anteater-like marsupial found in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.