Young Australian Faces Charges for Supposedly Placing Googly Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Artwork

A teenager from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after reportedly defacing a large 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 Tuesday, facing with one count of property damage.

Officials commented at the moment of the September incident, the local council explained that surveillance video showed a individual putting artificial eyes on the sculpture, which locals have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.

The accused made no plea and informed the judge she was ill, as reported by media sources, with the judge advising her to find a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in the final month of the year.

A day after the alleged incident, the local mayor said that restoration to the much-loved public artwork would be costly as the stickers could not be detached without damaging the sculpture.

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

She said the local government would seek the “significant” restoration expenses from those responsible for the vandalism.

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

Costing 136,000 Australian dollars ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture represents a legendary giant animal, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an ancient marsupial ant-eater discovered in nearby caverns that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.