🔗 Share this article

A young person from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after allegedly vandalizing a large blue sculpture of a legendary being by affixing googly eyes to it.

Amelia Vanderhorst, aged 19, appeared remotely at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in the state of South Australia on that day, charged with a single charge of damaging property.

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

Ms Vanderhorst did not enter a plea and told the judge she was ill, as reported by media sources, with the judge recommending her to find a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in December.

A day after the alleged incident, the local mayor stated that repairs to the much-loved public artwork would be expensive as the stickers were impossible to be removed without damaging the sculpture.

“This wilful damage to a valued public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also disappointing to those people of our society who have embraced the Blue Blob.”

She added the council would seek the “significant” restoration expenses from those accountable for the vandalism.

When the artwork was initially suggested, it received mixed reactions from the area residents due to its cost 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 ancient marsupial ant-eater found in nearby caverns that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.