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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 the local court in the state of South Australia on that day, charged with one count of damaging property.

Officials commented at the moment of the recent event, the municipal authorities explained that surveillance video showed a individual putting artificial eyes on the artwork, which residents have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.

Ms Vanderhorst did not enter a plea and told the judge she was ill, as reported by media sources, with the magistrate recommending her to secure a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in the final month of the year.

A day after the alleged incident, the local mayor stated that restoration to the popular community sculpture would be expensive as the stickers were impossible to be detached without damaging the sculpture.

“This intentional vandalism to a cherished community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in mid-September. “It is not harmless fun, it is pricey - it is also disappointing to those members of our community who have welcomed the Blue Blob.”

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

At the time the artwork was first proposed, it drew varied responses from the local community due to its cost and design.

Priced at A$136,000 ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture depicts a legendary giant animal, with the creators inspired by an prehistoric marsupial ant-eater found in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.