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A teenager from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after allegedly defacing a large blue sculpture of a legendary being by affixing plastic eyes to it.

The 19-year-old, aged 19, participated remotely at the local court in the state of South Australia on Tuesday, facing with a single charge of property damage.

In a statement at the moment of the recent event, the local council said that surveillance video showed a person putting fake eyes on the sculpture, which residents have nicknamed 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 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 popular community sculpture would be costly as the stickers could not be removed without harming the sculpture.

“This intentional vandalism to a cherished community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin remarked in September. “It is not harmless fun, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those members of our community who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”

The mayor said the local government would pursue the “significant” repair costs from those responsible for the damage.

When the sculpture was first proposed, it drew mixed reactions from the area residents due to its cost and design.

Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the sculpture depicts a legendary giant animal, with the creators inspired by an ancient anteater-like marsupial found in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.