An individual who contaminated sweets with sedative and provided them to minors at a youth camp in Leicestershire has pleaded guilty to sexual offenses against two young males aged between nine and ten.
Jon Ruben was detained after eight children and a grown-up fell ill at the location in the summer month.
The senior citizen, from the Nottinghamshire area, confessed to a multiple criminal counts when he appeared at Leicester Crown Court on the end of the week.
Nevertheless, he denied one of the sexual offences he was facing, which was involving a young boy.
The defendant was remanded in custody ahead of a further hearing on late November.
'Sweet game'
The prosecutor, handling the case, described the criminal behavior to the legal proceedings.
She explained his targets were under-privileged children who were staying at a summer camp which he operated.
Ruben conducted a "treat game" with the minors, Mrs Prior said, in which he would go into the children's bedrooms when they were settling down and tell them to ingest treats "as fast as possible".
She told the court Ruben had played this game with the boys "for many years", and minors had previously become sick the next day.
She stated the defendant had been capable of justifying this over a long period as the children being "overstimulated by activities", until his stepson had suspicions in July 2025.
The prosecutor added: "In the summer" his stepchild had suspicions about what was going on, with valid cause.
"They resolved" to investigate in the man's possessions."
The prosecutor stated items including lubricant, Vaseline and syringes were discovered, and his stepchild alerted the authorities about his suspicions.
She stated the defendant went on to play the "treat game" with six youngsters that night - Saturday 26 July - and they were all ill the following morning.
"The police had not gone out by that stage," she continued.
The police watchdog, the investigative body, had stated that it was reviewing the police response of the incident.
The legal representative explained the youngsters were struggling to walk due to their sickness, so the stepson contacted the police a second time.
She said the defendant then engaged in the "sweet game" in a space of five youngsters.
