Australian Teen Charged for Allegedly Placing Googly Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Sculpture

A teenager from Australia has appeared in court after allegedly defacing a sizable blue sculpture of a mythical creature by applying plastic eyes to it.

Amelia Vanderhorst, 19 years old, participated via phone at the local court in South Australia on Tuesday, facing with one count of property damage.

Officials commented at the time of the September incident, the municipal authorities said that surveillance video showed a person placing fake eyes on the sculpture, which locals have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.

Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and told the judge she was ill, according to news outlets, with the judge advising her to find 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 community sculpture would be expensive as the adhesive eyes could not be removed without harming the sculpture.

“This wilful damage to a cherished public artwork is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also disappointing to those members of our society who have welcomed the Blue Blob.”

The mayor added the council would pursue the “substantial” restoration expenses from those accountable for the damage.

At the time the sculpture was initially suggested, it received mixed reactions from the area residents due to its price tag and appearance.

Priced at A$136,000 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture depicts a mythical megafauna, with the creators influenced by an prehistoric marsupial ant-eater discovered in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.