Young Australian Faces Charges for Supposedly Placing Googly Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Sculpture

A young person from Australia has appeared in court after reportedly defacing a sizable blue sculpture of a mythical creature by affixing plastic eyes to it.

Amelia Vanderhorst, aged 19, appeared via phone at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in South Australia on that day, charged 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 person putting fake eyes on the artwork, which residents have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.

Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and informed the judge she was unwell, as reported by news outlets, with the magistrate recommending her to find a lawyer before her next court date in December.

The following day the alleged incident, the city leader stated that restoration to the popular public artwork would be costly as the stickers could not be removed without harming the art piece.

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

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

When the sculpture was first proposed, it received varied responses from the local community due to its price tag and appearance.

Priced at A$136,000 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the artwork depicts a legendary giant animal, with the creators inspired by an prehistoric marsupial ant-eater discovered in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.