UK court hears how Jon Ruben drugged children with sedatives during summer camp “sweet game”
Summer camp leader Jon Ruben, 76, will be sentenced next year for drugging and abusing boys.
A man who admitted sex offenses against two boys after lacing sweets with a tranquilizer at a summer camp has been warned he will face "a significant sentence".
Camp leader Jon Ruben, 76, was arrested after eight children and one adult became unwell at Stathern Lodge in Leicestershire in July.
Ruben pleaded guilty to 17 charges at Leicester Crown Court on November 14. However, he denied a sexual offense against a boy under the age of 13. On Thursday, December 4, Ruben was told that the outstanding charge will lie on file and that he won’t face trial at a hearing at the same court.
Ruben is set to be sentenced on February 6 next year. His Honour Timothy Spencer KC, told Ruben: "A significant sentence of imprisonment is coming your way, you understand that?"
The 76-year-old admitted to eight counts of willful ill treatment of a child in relation to eight separate victims, one count of acquiring or possession of dutiable goods by fraudulent intent, three counts of possession of a class C drug, and three counts of making indecent photographs of a child.
He also admitted one count of assault by penetration of a boy under 13 and one count of sexual assault of a boy under 13.
The charges came after police attended the summer camp on July 28 after concerns that children had fallen ill. A report was made that Ruben - who ran a charity providing short holiday breaks for children - may have been drugging children at the camp with a number of children reported to be unwell including feeling drowsy and sick.
Leicestershire Police said that eight children and an adult were taken to hospital before later being discharged.
Ruben was found at a nearby pub with some of the children, where he was arrested by police. Searches at Stathern Lodge led to the discovery of syringes and sedatives.
Leicester Crown Court was told in November that there had been a "long history" of children feeling sick at the holiday camp, which Ruben ran for 27 years.
Mary Prior KC said: “For many years [Ruben] has played what he calls a sweet game with the children in which he goes into the bedrooms. The game is that each has to eat really sticky sweets as quickly as they can but they must chew them.
“Children have always felt ill the next day but he explained it as they were overwrought.”
Deputy Editor
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