A man who laced treats with sleeping medication and provided them to minors at a youth camp in the region has confessed to sexual crimes against two boys aged nine and ten years old.
The accused was detained after eight youngsters and a grown-up fell ill at the location in July.
The elderly man, from the Nottinghamshire area, pleaded guilty to a total of 17 charges when he stood at the courthouse on Friday.
Nevertheless, he denied one of the sexual offences he was facing, which was concerning a nine-year-old boy.
The defendant was kept in jail ahead of a further hearing on November 28th.
'Treat game'
The legal representative, prosecuting, detailed Ruben's offending to the judicial body.
She said his victims were disadvantaged youngsters who were attending a summer program which he ran.
The defendant played a "treat game" with the youngsters, the prosecutor said, in which he would access the boys' rooms when they were settling down and request they to ingest treats "as fast as possible".
She stated to the judge the man had conducted this practice with the young males "over an extended period", and minors had earlier experienced illness the subsequent day.
She explained Ruben had been capable of justifying this for many years as the minors being "overexcited from fun", until his stepson had worries in July 2025.
The legal representative continued: "Recently" his family member had worries about what was going on, for good reason.
"They decided to have a look in the man's possessions."
The prosecutor said objects including infant oil, petroleum jelly and syringes were located, and his stepchild alerted the authorities about his concerns.
She said the man continued to conduct the "candy game" with six boys that night - Saturday 26 July - and they were all ill the subsequent day.
"Authorities" had not responded by that point," she added.
The regulatory agency, the police conduct office, had stated that it was examining Leicestershire Police's handling of the incident.
The legal representative explained the youngsters were having difficulty walking due to their sickness, so the family member notified the authorities again.
She said Ruben then conducted the "treat game" in a area of five minors.
