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A teenager from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after reportedly defacing a large blue sculpture of a mythical creature by applying googly eyes to it.

The 19-year-old, 19 years old, participated via phone at the local court in the state of South Australia on that day, facing with a single charge of property damage.

Officials commented at the time of the September incident, the municipal authorities said that surveillance video captured a person placing fake eyes on the sculpture, which locals have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.

The accused made no plea and informed the judge she was unwell, as reported by media sources, with the judge advising her to find a legal representative before her next court date in the final month of the year.

A day after the reported event, the city leader said that restoration to the popular public artwork would be expensive as the stickers were impossible to be detached without harming the art piece.

“This wilful damage to a valued 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 frustrating to those people of our community who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”

The mayor said the local government would pursue the “substantial” repair costs from those accountable for the damage.

At the time the sculpture was first proposed, it received mixed reactions from the local community due to its price tag and design.

Costing 136,000 Australian dollars ($89,000; £68,000), the artwork depicts a legendary giant animal, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an prehistoric anteater-like marsupial found in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.