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A teenager from the Land Down Under has faced legal proceedings after reportedly vandalizing a large blue sculpture of a mythical creature by affixing plastic eyes to it.

Amelia Vanderhorst, aged 19, participated via phone at the local court in South Australia on Tuesday, facing with a single charge of property damage.

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

Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and told the judge she was ill, according to media sources, with the judge advising her to find a lawyer before her next court date in the final month of the year.

The following day the reported event, 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 wilful damage to a valued public artwork is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also disappointing to those people of our community who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”

She said the local government would pursue the “significant” restoration expenses from those responsible for the vandalism.

When the artwork was first proposed, 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 found in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.