Australian Teen Faces Charges for Supposedly Attaching Googly Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Sculpture

A young person from Australia has appeared in court after reportedly defacing a large art piece of a legendary being by affixing googly eyes to it.

Amelia Vanderhorst, aged 19, participated remotely at the local court in the state of South Australia on that day, facing with one count of property damage.

In a statement at the time of the recent event, the municipal authorities said that CCTV footage captured a individual placing artificial eyes on the artwork, which locals have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.

The accused did not enter a plea and told the court she was unwell, according to media sources, with the magistrate recommending her to secure a legal representative before her next court date 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 adhesive eyes could not be detached without damaging the art piece.

“This wilful damage to a valued public artwork is unacceptable and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin said in September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also frustrating to those members of our community who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”

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

At the time the artwork was first proposed, it received varied responses from the area residents due to its cost and design.

Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture depicts a legendary giant animal, with the creators influenced by an ancient anteater-like marsupial found in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.