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A young person from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after allegedly defacing a sizable art piece of a legendary being by applying plastic eyes to it.

Amelia Vanderhorst, 19 years old, participated remotely at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in South Australia on that day, facing with a single charge of damaging property.

Officials commented at the time of the September incident, the local council explained that CCTV footage showed a person putting artificial eyes on the artwork, which locals have nicknamed the “Blue Blob”.

Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and informed the judge she was unwell, as reported by media sources, with the magistrate recommending her to find a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in the final month of the year.

A day after the alleged incident, the local mayor stated that restoration to the popular public artwork would be costly as the adhesive eyes could not be removed without damaging the sculpture.

“This wilful damage to a cherished public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in mid-September. “It is not harmless fun, it is pricey - it is also frustrating to those people of our society who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”

She added the local government would seek the “significant” repair costs from those responsible for the damage.

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

Costing 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the artwork depicts a mythical megafauna, with the creators influenced by an prehistoric marsupial ant-eater found in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.