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

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

In a statement at the moment of the recent event, the local council said that CCTV footage showed a person placing artificial eyes on the artwork, which residents have dubbed the “Blue Blob”.

The accused did not enter a plea and informed the judge she was ill, according to news outlets, with the judge recommending her to find a lawyer before her next court date in December.

A day after the reported event, the city leader said that restoration to the popular community sculpture would be costly as the stickers could not be detached without damaging the sculpture.

“This intentional vandalism to a valued public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin remarked in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is costly - it is also disappointing to those members of our society who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”

She said the council 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.

Costing 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the sculpture depicts a mythical megafauna, with the sculpture’s designers influenced by an prehistoric marsupial ant-eater found in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.