A man who laced candy with sleeping medication and distributed them to minors at a youth camp in the area has admitted sexual offenses against two boys aged nine and ten years old.
The defendant was taken into custody after eight youngsters and an older person fell ill at Stathern Lodge in July.
The senior citizen, from Ruddington in Nottinghamshire, pleaded guilty to a series of 17 offences when he was present at the judicial center on the end of the week.
Yet, he denied a single sexual charge he was accused of, which was involving a young boy.
The defendant was held in detention before a subsequent court date on late November.
'Sweet game'
Mary Prior KC, prosecuting, outlined the defendant's actions to the legal proceedings.
She said his targets were children from difficult backgrounds who were participating in a summer program which he ran.
Ruben conducted a "sweet game" with the youngsters, Mrs Prior said, in which he would go into the children's bedrooms when they were getting ready for bed and tell them to ingest treats "as fast as possible".
She informed the proceedings the man had played this game with the boys "repeatedly", and minors had previously become sick the next day.
She stated the man had been capable of justifying this for many years as the children being "overexcited from fun", until his stepson had suspicions in July 2025.
The prosecutor stated further: "This year his stepson had suspicions about what was going on, for good reason.
"They resolved" to investigate in the defendant's belongings."
The legal counsel said objects including lubricant, Vaseline and medical needles were found, and his family member contacted the law enforcement about his suspicions.
She said the defendant went on to engage in the "treat game" with six children that evening - that Saturday - and they were all ill the next day.
"The police had not gone out by that stage," she stated further.
The oversight body, the investigative body, earlier informed that it was reviewing the police response of the incident.
The prosecutor said the youngsters were having difficulty walking due to being ill, so the stepson notified the authorities once more.
She said the defendant then conducted the "candy game" in a space of five minors.
