A man who laced candy with tranquilliser and provided them to children at a summer camp in Leicestershire has admitted sexual offenses against two children aged nine and ten years old.
The defendant was taken into custody after eight children and an older person fell ill at the location in the summer month.
The 76-year-old, from Ruddington in Nottinghamshire, admitted guilt to a series of 17 offences when he stood at the courthouse on Friday.
However, he refused to admit one of the sexual offences he was charged with, which was involving a nine-year-old child.
The accused was remanded in custody before a additional proceeding on November 28th.
'Sweet game'
The prosecutor, presenting evidence, outlined Ruben's offending to the court.
She said his targets were under-privileged children who were participating in a summer camp which he ran.
Ruben played a "candy game" with the minors, the legal counsel said, in which he would enter the children's bedrooms when they were getting ready for bed and tell them to consume candy "as quickly as they can".
She told the court the man had engaged in this activity with the children "over an extended period", and youngsters had earlier experienced illness the next day.
She stated Ruben had been capable of justifying this repeatedly as the minors being "overwrought by enjoyment", until his stepson had worries in recently.
The prosecutor stated further: "Recently" his stepchild had suspicions about the activities, justifiably.
"They resolved" to have a look in the man's possessions."
Mrs Prior KC explained items including infant oil, Vaseline and syringes were found, and his family member contacted the authorities about his worries.
She said Ruben proceeded to conduct the "treat game" with six children that night - that Saturday - and they were all ill the subsequent day.
"Law enforcement" had not arrived by that point," she stated further.
The oversight body, the Independent Office for Police Conduct, previously told that it was reviewing the police response of the situation.
The prosecutor said the youngsters were struggling to walk due to their condition, so the family member notified the authorities once more.
She stated the man then engaged in the "sweet game" in a room of five youngsters.
