Hi °C | Lo °C A convicted child abuser who broke a court order by playing football with young boys previously built a playground to lure children into his diabolical den.
Our photo shows the playground, complete with a brightly coloured child-size train and a life-size scarecrow, in his garden that sick paedophile Gustav Dahm used to lure kids before abusing them.
Last week, the 40-year-old was warned he could be back behind bars unless he stays away from children.
Unsupervised
Dahm was before Tralee Circuit Criminal Court last Friday before Judge Carroll Moran because he had broken an undertaking that he would not have any unsupervised contact with children.
He was also found to be in breach of an order that he stay away from his mother's guesthouse in Co Kerry while there were guests present.
Dahm was convicted in October 2006 of 23 counts of indecent assault, sexual assault and gross indecency involving two boys and four girls. The offences occurred over a 17-year period up to 2003.
Apart from a playground, Dahm lured the children aged from five to 15 to the guesthouse with money, treats and cigarettes.
Dahm, who was born and educated in Kenmare, Co Kerry, and is of German-Austrian parents, had an apartment designed especially to lure the children and had installed expensive disco lights and a sound system.
He allowed them to consume alcohol and smoke cigarettes. He abused them when they were intoxicated and unable to fight him off.
He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, four of which were suspended if he agreed to certain conditions including that he should have no unsupervised contact with children under 17.
He was released late last year and relocated to Riverchapel, Co Wexford, where last April he admitted speaking to two boys, aged between 10 and 13, and kicking a football with them near his home.
Friday's court sitting heard from Wexford-based probation officer Catherine Lambert, who said Dahm engaged in some talk with the boys and also kicked a football with them.
"The accused, himself, withdrew from the situation," Ms Lambert said.
Judge Moran said: "If anything like this happens again it's possible there will be an application to reactivate the sentence and it's also possible that I will do that," he warned.
kfoy@herald.ie
