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A teenager from the Land Down Under has faced legal proceedings after reportedly defacing a large blue sculpture of a legendary being by affixing googly eyes to it.

The 19-year-old, aged 19, participated via phone at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in the state of South Australia on Tuesday, facing with a single charge of property damage.

In a statement at the time of the September incident, the municipal authorities said that surveillance video showed a individual putting artificial eyes on the sculpture, which residents have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.

The accused did not enter a plea and told the court she was unwell, according to news outlets, with the judge recommending her to find a legal representative before her next court date in the final month of the year.

A day after the reported event, the local mayor said that repairs to the popular public artwork would be expensive as the stickers could not be detached without harming the art piece.

“This intentional vandalism to a valued community art is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in September. “It is not harmless fun, it is pricey - it is also disappointing to those people of our society who have embraced Cast in Blue.”

She said the council would seek the “significant” restoration expenses from those responsible for the damage.

At the time the sculpture was first proposed, it drew varied responses from the local community due to its cost and design.

Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars ($89,000; £68,000), the sculpture represents a legendary giant animal, with the creators inspired by an prehistoric marsupial ant-eater found in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.