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A teenager from the Land Down Under has faced legal proceedings after allegedly defacing a large art piece of a legendary being by affixing plastic eyes to it.

The 19-year-old, 19 years old, appeared remotely at the local court in the state of South Australia on Tuesday, charged with one count of property damage.

Officials commented at the moment of the September incident, the local council said that CCTV footage showed a individual placing artificial eyes on the sculpture, which residents have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.

Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and informed the court she was ill, according to media sources, with the magistrate recommending her to secure a lawyer before her next court date in December.

The following day the alleged incident, the city leader said that repairs to the popular community sculpture would be costly as the adhesive eyes could not be detached without harming the sculpture.

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

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

When the sculpture was initially suggested, it drew varied responses from the area residents due to its price tag and design.

Priced at A$136,000 ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture represents a mythical megafauna, with the creators inspired by an prehistoric anteater-like marsupial discovered in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.