🔗 Share this article

A young person from the Land Down Under has faced legal proceedings after allegedly vandalizing a large blue sculpture of a legendary being by applying plastic 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 said that surveillance video showed a person placing fake eyes on the artwork, which residents have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.

Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and informed the judge she was ill, according to media sources, with the judge advising her to find a legal representative before her next court date in the final month of the year.

The following day the reported event, the city leader said that restoration to the much-loved community sculpture would be costly as the stickers could not be removed without damaging the sculpture.

“This wilful damage to a cherished public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those people of our community who have welcomed the Blue Blob.”

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

When the sculpture was initially suggested, it drew mixed reactions from the area residents due to its price tag and appearance.

Priced at A$136,000 ($89,000; £68,000), the sculpture depicts a legendary giant animal, with the creators influenced by an prehistoric marsupial ant-eater discovered in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.