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A teenager from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after allegedly defacing 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 South Australia on that day, facing with a single charge of damaging property.

Officials commented at the time of the September incident, the local council said that surveillance video showed a individual placing artificial eyes on the artwork, which residents have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.

The accused made no plea and told the judge she was unwell, as reported by media sources, with the magistrate advising her to secure a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in December.

A day after the alleged incident, the local mayor stated that restoration to the much-loved community sculpture would be costly as the adhesive eyes could not be detached without harming the sculpture.

“This intentional vandalism to a valued public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in September. “It is not harmless fun, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those people of our society who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”

The mayor added the local government would pursue the “substantial” restoration expenses from those responsible for the vandalism.

At the time the sculpture was first proposed, it received mixed reactions from the area residents due to its price tag and appearance.

Priced at A$136,000 ($89,000; £68,000), the artwork depicts a legendary giant animal, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an prehistoric marsupial ant-eater found in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.