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A teenager from Australia has faced legal proceedings after allegedly defacing a large art piece of a mythical creature by affixing plastic eyes to it.

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

Officials commented at the moment of the recent event, the local council explained that surveillance video showed a individual placing fake eyes on the artwork, which residents have dubbed the “Blue Blob”.

The accused did not enter a plea and told the judge she was ill, as reported by media sources, with the magistrate advising 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 local mayor said that repairs to the popular community sculpture would be costly as the stickers could not be detached without damaging the art piece.

“This wilful damage to a cherished community art is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in mid-September. “It is not harmless fun, it is costly - it is also disappointing to those members of our community who have welcomed the Blue Blob.”

She said the council would pursue the “significant” restoration expenses from those accountable for the damage.

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

Costing A$136,000 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the artwork represents a legendary giant animal, with the sculpture’s designers influenced by an prehistoric marsupial ant-eater found in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.