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A young person from Australia has faced legal proceedings after allegedly defacing a sizable blue sculpture of a legendary being by applying googly eyes to it.

Amelia Vanderhorst, aged 19, participated remotely at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in South Australia on Tuesday, facing with a single charge of property damage.

Officials commented at the time of the recent event, the municipal authorities explained that surveillance video showed a person placing artificial eyes on the artwork, which locals have dubbed the “Blue Blob”.

The accused did not enter a plea and told the court she was unwell, according to media sources, with the judge recommending her to secure a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in December.

A day after the alleged incident, the city leader said that repairs to the much-loved public artwork would be costly as the adhesive eyes were impossible to be removed without harming the sculpture.

“This intentional vandalism to a cherished community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin said in September. “It is not harmless fun, it is pricey - it is also frustrating to those people of our community who have embraced Cast in Blue.”

The mayor added the local government would pursue the “significant” restoration expenses from those accountable for the damage.

At the time the sculpture was initially suggested, 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”.