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

A teenager from the Land Down Under has faced legal proceedings after allegedly vandalizing a sizable art piece of a legendary being by applying plastic eyes to it.

Amelia Vanderhorst, aged 19, participated remotely at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in South Australia on that day, facing with a single charge of property damage.

Officials commented at the time of the recent event, the municipal authorities said that surveillance video captured a person putting fake eyes on the sculpture, which residents have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.

The accused did not enter a plea and told the court she was ill, as reported by media sources, with the judge recommending her to secure a legal representative before her next court date in the final month of the year.

The following day the reported event, the local mayor said that repairs to the much-loved community sculpture would be costly as the adhesive eyes could not be detached without damaging the sculpture.

“This intentional vandalism to a cherished community art is unacceptable and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin remarked in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is costly - it is also disappointing to those members of our society who have embraced Cast in Blue.”

She said the local government would pursue the “significant” repair costs from those responsible for the damage.

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

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