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A young person from Australia has faced legal proceedings after allegedly defacing a sizable art piece of a legendary being by affixing googly eyes to it.

Amelia Vanderhorst, 19 years old, participated remotely at the local court in South Australia on that day, facing with a single charge of damaging property.

In a statement at the moment of the recent event, the local council explained that CCTV footage captured a individual putting fake eyes on the artwork, which locals have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.

The accused made no plea and informed the judge she was unwell, as reported by news outlets, with the magistrate advising her to find a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in December.

The following day the alleged incident, the city leader said that repairs to the much-loved public artwork would be costly as the stickers were impossible to be detached without harming the art piece.

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

She said the council would seek the “substantial” repair costs from those accountable for the damage.

At the time the sculpture was first proposed, it received mixed reactions from the area residents due to its cost and appearance.

Priced at A$136,000 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the artwork represents a legendary giant animal, with the creators influenced by an ancient marsupial ant-eater discovered in nearby caverns that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.