🔗 Share this article

A young person from Australia has appeared in court after reportedly vandalizing a large blue sculpture of a mythical creature by affixing 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 damaging property.

Officials commented at the moment of the recent event, the municipal authorities explained that CCTV footage captured a person putting fake eyes on the artwork, which locals have dubbed the “Blue Blob”.

The accused did not enter a 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 the final month of the year.

A day after the reported event, the local mayor stated that repairs to the popular public artwork would be costly as the stickers were impossible to be removed without damaging the art piece.

“This intentional vandalism to a cherished community art is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also frustrating to those people of our society who have embraced Cast in Blue.”

The mayor said the council would pursue the “significant” restoration expenses from those accountable for the vandalism.

At the time the artwork was initially suggested, it drew mixed reactions from the local community due to its price tag and appearance.

Costing 136,000 Australian dollars ($89,000; £68,000), the artwork represents a legendary giant animal, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an ancient marsupial ant-eater discovered in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.