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A teenager from Australia has faced legal proceedings after allegedly defacing a sizable art piece of a mythical creature by affixing plastic eyes to it.

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

Officials commented at the time of the recent event, the local council said that surveillance video captured a individual placing fake eyes on the artwork, which residents have nicknamed the “Blue Blob”.

The accused did not enter a plea and informed the judge she was unwell, as reported by news outlets, with the magistrate advising her to find a lawyer before her next court date in December.

A day after the alleged incident, the local mayor said that restoration to the much-loved community sculpture would be costly as the stickers could not be detached without damaging the sculpture.

“This intentional vandalism to a cherished public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also frustrating to those people of our community who have welcomed the Blue Blob.”

The mayor said the council would seek the “substantial” repair costs from those responsible for the vandalism.

When the artwork was initially suggested, it received varied responses from the local community due to its cost and design.

Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture represents a legendary giant animal, with the creators inspired by an ancient anteater-like marsupial found in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.