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A young person from Australia has appeared in court after reportedly defacing a sizable blue sculpture of a mythical creature by affixing googly eyes to it.

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

In a statement at the moment of the recent event, the local council explained that CCTV footage captured a person putting artificial eyes on the artwork, which residents have dubbed the “Blue Blob”.

The accused did not enter a plea and told the court she was ill, as reported by news outlets, with the magistrate advising her to secure a legal representative before her next court date in the final month of the year.

A day after the alleged incident, the city leader said that repairs to the popular public artwork would be expensive as the adhesive eyes could not be detached without harming the sculpture.

“This intentional vandalism to a cherished community art is unacceptable and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin remarked in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is costly - it is also disappointing to those members of our society who have embraced the Blue Blob.”

She added the council would seek the “substantial” repair costs from those accountable for the damage.

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

Costing A$136,000 ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the artwork represents a legendary giant animal, with the creators inspired by an prehistoric anteater-like marsupial found in nearby caverns that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.