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A young person from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after allegedly vandalizing a sizable blue sculpture of a mythical creature by applying plastic eyes to it.

Amelia Vanderhorst, 19 years old, participated remotely at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in South Australia on Tuesday, charged with one count of property damage.

In a statement at the moment of the recent event, the local council explained that surveillance video captured a person placing artificial eyes on the sculpture, which locals have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.

Ms Vanderhorst did not enter a plea and told the judge she was unwell, as reported by media sources, with the magistrate recommending her to secure a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in the final month of the year.

A day after the alleged incident, the city leader said that repairs to the much-loved public artwork would be costly as the stickers were impossible to be removed without harming the art piece.

“This intentional vandalism to a cherished public artwork is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is costly - it is also disappointing to those members of our community who have embraced Cast in Blue.”

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

At the time 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; £68,000), the artwork depicts a legendary giant animal, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an prehistoric anteater-like marsupial found in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.