Eight young boys aged 8 to 11 were hospitalized as a precaution following the event
A man has admitted to administering drugs to children at a Leicestershire summer camp. Jon Ruben, aged 76, sedated several young boys using candy before committing sexual assault, as reported in Leicester Crown Court.
Ruben, who is 76 and resides in Wayte Court, Ruddington, Nottinghamshire, confessed to sexual assault of a child under 13, assault of a child under 13 by penetration, eight counts of child cruelty, three counts of producing indecent images of children, and four drug-related offenses, according to Leicestershire Live.
However, he denied one charge of assault by penetration, with prosecutors given a fortnight to decide whether to pursue it.
Leicestershire Police were alerted by a third party about children feeling unwell at the camp at Stathern Lodge in July. Despite initial reports on Friday, July 25, police only responded on Sunday, July 27 after multiple calls, finding numerous children ill, exhibiting symptoms of drowsiness and vomiting.
One child was found unconscious. Medical personnel examined the children, and eight boys, aged between eight and 11, were hospitalized as a precaution. They were all eventually released.
Mary Prior KC, addressing the court, said: “The defendant has managed a holiday camp for underprivileged and socially deprived children for 27 years. He utilized his position as a teacher and senior church member to run youth clubs, evening classes, and Sunday schools, selecting children to attend the summer camp from these groups.”
“There is a long history of children feeling sick at the camp at Stathern Lodge where they rented accommodation,” said Mrs. Prior. She described how Ruben would often be responsible for putting two rooms of boys to sleep at night. After they had their pyjamas on, he would enter the rooms with sweets that he had injected with tranquilizers.
Mrs. Prior explained: “For many years he played what he called ‘the sweet game’ with the children.” The game involved all the boys being given sweets and told they had to chew them and eat them as quickly as possible.
“The purpose of drugging them was to sexually abuse the ones he picked and ensure that the others were asleep so they wouldn’t witness it,” she added.
