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A young person from the Land Down Under has faced legal proceedings after reportedly defacing a sizable blue sculpture of a mythical creature by affixing plastic eyes to it.

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

Officials commented at the time of the recent event, the municipal authorities said that CCTV footage showed a individual putting fake eyes on the sculpture, which locals have nicknamed the “Blue Blob”.

Ms Vanderhorst did not enter a plea and told the court she was unwell, as reported by news outlets, with the judge advising her to secure a lawyer before her next court date in the final month of the year.

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

“This intentional vandalism to a cherished public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin remarked in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also frustrating to those members of our community who have welcomed the Blue Blob.”

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

When the sculpture was first proposed, it received varied responses from the area residents due to its price tag and design.

Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars ($89,000; £68,000), the sculpture depicts a mythical megafauna, with the creators influenced by an ancient marsupial ant-eater found in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.