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A young person from Australia has faced legal proceedings after reportedly vandalizing a large art piece of a legendary being by affixing plastic eyes to it.

Amelia Vanderhorst, 19 years old, appeared via phone at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in the state of South Australia on Tuesday, charged with a single charge of property damage.

Officials commented at the time of the September incident, the municipal authorities said that CCTV footage captured a individual putting artificial eyes on the artwork, which locals have dubbed the “Blue Blob”.

The accused made no plea and informed the judge she was unwell, according to news outlets, with the judge recommending her to secure a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in December.

A day after the alleged incident, the city leader said that restoration to the much-loved community sculpture would be costly as the stickers could not be detached without harming the art piece.

“This wilful damage to a cherished community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin said in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those members of our society who have embraced the Blue Blob.”

She added the council would pursue the “substantial” restoration expenses from those accountable for the vandalism.

When the sculpture was initially suggested, it received mixed reactions from the local community due to its price tag and appearance.

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