Young Australian Charged for Supposedly Attaching Sticker Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Artwork

A teenager from Australia has appeared in court after reportedly defacing a large blue sculpture of a legendary being by affixing plastic eyes to it.

The 19-year-old, 19 years old, appeared via phone at the local court in the state of South Australia on Tuesday, facing with a single charge of property damage.

In a statement at the time of the recent event, the local council said that CCTV footage captured a person placing fake eyes on the sculpture, which residents have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.

Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and told the judge she was unwell, as reported by media sources, with the magistrate advising her to find a lawyer before her next court date in December.

A day after the reported event, the local mayor stated that repairs to the popular community sculpture would be expensive as the stickers were impossible to be removed without damaging the sculpture.

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

She said the council would seek the “substantial” restoration expenses from those accountable for the damage.

When the sculpture was initially suggested, it received varied responses from the local community due to its price tag and design.

Costing A$136,000 ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture represents a legendary giant animal, with the creators influenced by an prehistoric marsupial ant-eater found in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.