An individual who contaminated candy with sedative and gave them to minors at a youth camp in Leicestershire has pleaded guilty to sexual offences against two children aged nine and ten years old.
The accused was arrested after eight youngsters and a grown-up experienced illness at the location in the summer month.
The elderly man, from that region, confessed to a multiple criminal counts when he appeared at the courthouse on Friday.
Nevertheless, he disputed a single sexual charge he was facing, which was concerning a nine-year-old child.
The defendant was remanded in custody prior to a further hearing on late November.
'Treat game'
Mary Prior KC, handling the case, detailed the defendant's actions to the court.
She said his targets were children from difficult backgrounds who were staying at a youth camp which he managed.
Ruben engaged in a "candy game" with the minors, the prosecutor said, in which he would enter the boys' rooms when they were getting ready for bed and ask them to consume candy "as fast as possible".
She informed the proceedings the defendant had played this game with the boys "repeatedly", and minors had previously fallen ill the next day.
She said the man had been capable of justifying this repeatedly as the youngsters being "overstimulated by activities", until his stepson had suspicions in summer 2025.
The prosecutor stated further: "In the summer" his family member had suspicions about the situation, for good reason.
"They chose" to investigate in the individual's items."
The legal counsel said objects including infant oil, petroleum jelly and syringes were discovered, and his stepson notified the law enforcement about his concerns.
She stated the defendant continued to conduct the "candy game" with six boys that night - that Saturday - and they were all ill the subsequent day.
"The police had not responded by that point," she added.
The oversight body, the Independent Office for Police Conduct, earlier informed that it was reviewing law enforcement's management of the situation.
The prosecutor explained the children were unable to walk properly due to their sickness, so the family member contacted the law enforcement again.
She said the man then conducted the "sweet game" in a area of five children.
