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A young person from Australia has faced legal proceedings after reportedly defacing a sizable blue sculpture of a legendary being by applying 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 one count of damaging property.

In a statement at the moment of the September incident, the municipal authorities explained that CCTV footage showed a individual putting artificial eyes on the artwork, which locals have dubbed the “Blue Blob”.

The accused made no plea and told the judge she was ill, according to media sources, with the judge recommending her to find a lawyer before her next court date in the final month of the year.

The following day the alleged incident, the city leader stated that restoration to the popular community sculpture would be costly as the stickers were impossible to be detached without damaging the sculpture.

“This wilful damage to a cherished community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those people of our community who have welcomed the Blue Blob.”

She added the local government would pursue the “substantial” restoration expenses from those accountable for the damage.

When the sculpture was first proposed, it drew varied responses 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 sculpture depicts a legendary giant animal, with the creators influenced by an ancient marsupial ant-eater found in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.