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A teenager from Australia has appeared in court after reportedly defacing a sizable blue sculpture of a legendary being by applying plastic eyes to it.

The 19-year-old, aged 19, appeared remotely at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in the state of South Australia on Tuesday, charged with one count of property damage.

Officials commented at the moment of the recent event, the municipal authorities said that surveillance video captured a individual placing artificial eyes on the artwork, which locals have dubbed the “Blue Blob”.

Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and told the court she was ill, as reported by media sources, with the magistrate 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 city leader stated that restoration to the much-loved community sculpture would be costly as the adhesive eyes were impossible to be removed without damaging the art piece.

“This intentional vandalism to a cherished community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in September. “It is not harmless fun, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those people of our community who have welcomed the Blue Blob.”

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

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

Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture depicts a mythical megafauna, with the creators inspired by an prehistoric anteater-like marsupial discovered in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.