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A teenager from the Land Down Under has faced legal proceedings after reportedly vandalizing a sizable art piece of a mythical creature by affixing googly eyes to it.

The 19-year-old, aged 19, participated remotely at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in the state of South Australia on Tuesday, charged with a single charge of damaging property.

Officials commented at the time of the September incident, the municipal authorities explained that CCTV footage showed a individual placing artificial eyes on the sculpture, which locals have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.

The accused made no plea and told the court she was ill, according to news outlets, with the judge advising her to secure a lawyer before her next court date in December.

A day after the alleged incident, the city leader said that restoration to the popular public artwork would be expensive 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 remarked in September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also frustrating to those members of our community who have embraced the Blue Blob.”

The mayor said the council would pursue the “substantial” restoration expenses from those responsible for the damage.

When the sculpture was initially suggested, it drew varied responses from the area residents due to its price tag and design.

Costing 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture depicts a mythical megafauna, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an prehistoric marsupial ant-eater found in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.