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A young person from Australia has faced legal proceedings after allegedly vandalizing a sizable art piece of a legendary being by applying googly eyes to it.

Amelia Vanderhorst, aged 19, appeared remotely at the local court in South Australia on that day, charged with a single charge of property damage.

Officials commented at the moment of the September incident, the local council explained that CCTV footage captured a individual putting artificial eyes on the sculpture, which locals have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.

Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and told the court she was ill, as reported by news outlets, with the judge advising her to secure a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in December.

A day after the reported event, the local mayor said that restoration to the popular public artwork would be costly as the stickers were impossible to be removed without damaging the sculpture.

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

The mayor added the council would seek the “substantial” restoration expenses from those accountable for the damage.

When the sculpture was initially suggested, it drew mixed reactions from the area residents due to its price tag and appearance.

Costing A$136,000 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the artwork represents a legendary giant animal, with the creators inspired by an ancient anteater-like marsupial found in nearby caverns that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.