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A young person from the Land Down Under has faced legal proceedings after allegedly defacing a large art piece of a mythical creature by applying plastic eyes to it.

Amelia Vanderhorst, aged 19, appeared via phone at the local court in 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 explained that CCTV footage showed a individual placing fake eyes on the sculpture, which locals have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.

Ms Vanderhorst did not enter a plea and informed the court she was unwell, as reported by media sources, with the magistrate advising her to secure a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in December.

A day after the reported event, the local mayor said that repairs to the much-loved public artwork would be costly as the stickers could not be detached without harming the sculpture.

“This intentional vandalism to a valued community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, 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 seek the “substantial” restoration expenses from those accountable for the damage.

At the time the sculpture was initially suggested, it drew mixed reactions from the local community due to its cost and appearance.

Costing 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the artwork depicts a legendary giant animal, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an prehistoric marsupial ant-eater discovered in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.