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A teenager from Australia has appeared in court after allegedly vandalizing a sizable art piece of a mythical creature by applying 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 a single charge of property damage.

In a statement at the time of the September incident, the municipal authorities explained that CCTV footage showed a person putting fake eyes on the sculpture, which locals have dubbed the “Blue Blob”.

Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and informed 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 city leader stated that repairs to the much-loved public artwork would be costly as the stickers were impossible to be removed without damaging the art piece.

“This wilful damage to a valued public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin remarked in mid-September. “It is not harmless fun, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those members of our society who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”

The mayor said the local government would seek the “significant” repair costs from those responsible for the vandalism.

At the time the artwork was initially suggested, it drew mixed reactions from the area residents due to its cost and appearance.

Costing A$136,000 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the artwork depicts a legendary giant animal, with the creators influenced by an ancient anteater-like marsupial discovered in nearby caverns that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.