A man who spiked sweets with sleeping medication and provided them to children at a youth camp in Leicestershire has confessed to sexual offences against two boys aged nine and 10.
The defendant was detained after eight minors and one adult became sick at Stathern Lodge in mid-summer.
The 76-year-old, from Ruddington in Nottinghamshire, pleaded guilty to a total of 17 charges when he appeared at the courthouse on the end of the week.
Yet, he denied one of the sexual offences he was facing, which was concerning a nine-year-old boy.
Ruben was kept in jail ahead of a subsequent court date on late November.
'Sweet game'
The legal representative, handling the case, outlined the criminal behavior to the judicial body.
She explained his targets were children from difficult backgrounds who were participating in a summer camp which he operated.
Ruben played a "candy game" with the children, the legal counsel explained, in which he would access the boys' rooms when they were preparing to sleep and request they to consume candy "rapidly".
She told the court Ruben had engaged in this activity with the boys "for many years", and minors had earlier experienced illness the following morning.
She said the defendant had been capable of justifying this over a long period as the youngsters being "overwrought by enjoyment", until his stepson had concerns in recently.
The prosecutor stated further: "In the summer" his stepson had suspicions about what was going on, justifiably.
"They decided to have a look in the individual's items."
Mrs Prior KC explained objects including infant oil, petroleum jelly and injection devices were found, and his stepchild alerted the law enforcement about his suspicions.
She said Ruben continued to play the "sweet game" with six boys that time - Saturday 26 July - and they were all ill the following morning.
"Law enforcement" had not gone out by that stage," she continued.
The regulatory agency, the investigative body, previously told that it was reviewing law enforcement's management of the incident.
The prosecutor stated the minors were unable to walk properly due to their sickness, so Ruben's stepson contacted the authorities a second time.
She stated Ruben then conducted the "sweet game" in a space of five children.
