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A teenager from the Land Down Under has faced legal proceedings after allegedly vandalizing a large art piece of a legendary being by affixing plastic eyes to it.

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

Officials commented at the time of the September incident, the municipal authorities explained that CCTV footage showed a person placing fake eyes on the artwork, which locals have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.

Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and told the judge she was ill, 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 city leader stated that repairs to the popular community sculpture would be costly as the adhesive eyes were impossible to be removed without damaging the sculpture.

“This wilful damage to a cherished public artwork is unacceptable and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin remarked in mid-September. “It is not harmless fun, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those members of our community who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”

The mayor added the local government would seek the “substantial” repair costs from those accountable for the damage.

At the time the sculpture was first proposed, it received varied responses from the area residents due to its cost and appearance.

Priced at A$136,000 ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the artwork 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”.