Person admits sexual offenses targeting young males at summer camp
A man who contaminated treats with sedative and distributed them to minors at a summer camp in the area has confessed to sexual offenses against two children who were nine and ten years old.
The accused was taken into custody after eight minors and one adult experienced illness at Stathern Lodge in the summer month.
The senior citizen, from Ruddington in Nottinghamshire, confessed to a multiple criminal counts when he stood at Leicester Crown Court on Friday.
Yet, he denied a single sexual charge he was facing, which was concerning a young boy.
The defendant was kept in jail before a further hearing on 28 November.
'Sweet game'
The prosecutor, prosecuting, described the defendant's actions to the court.
She said his those affected were children from difficult backgrounds who were attending a summer program which he ran.
The man conducted a "sweet game" with the children, the legal counsel explained, in which he would go into the children's bedrooms when they were getting ready for bed and ask them to ingest treats "as fast as possible".
She told the court the man had conducted this practice with the young males "over an extended period", and children had previously fallen ill the following morning.
She said the man had been successful in rationalizing this for many years as the children being "overexcited from fun", until his family member had worries in recently.
The legal representative continued: "This year his stepchild had concerns about what was going on, justifiably.
"They decided to have a look in the defendant's belongings."
Mrs Prior KC explained items including infant oil, petroleum jelly and medical needles were discovered, and his stepchild contacted the law enforcement about his concerns.
She stated Ruben proceeded to play the "treat game" with six children that time - Saturday 26 July - and they were everyone unwell the next day.
"Law enforcement" had not gone out by that stage," she added.
The regulatory agency, the Independent Office for Police Conduct, had stated that it was examining the police response of the incident.
The legal representative said the minors were having difficulty walking due to being ill, so Ruben's stepson contacted the law enforcement once more.
She explained the defendant then played the "sweet game" in a space of five children.
