🔗 Share this article Person admits sex offences targeting children at youth camp Jon Ruben admitted 17 criminal counts at Leicester Crown Court on the end of the week A man who contaminated candy with sleeping medication and provided them to minors at a youth camp in the region has confessed to sexual crimes against two young males aged nine and 10. The defendant was arrested after eight youngsters and one adult fell ill at Stathern Lodge in mid-summer. The elderly man, from that region, pleaded guilty to a total of 17 charges when he appeared at Leicester Crown Court on Friday. Yet, he refused to admit one of the sexual offences he was facing, which was concerning a nine-year-old boy. The defendant was remanded in custody before a subsequent court date on late November. 'Candy game' The prosecutor, prosecuting, outlined Ruben's offending to the court. She stated his victims were under-privileged children who were attending a summer program which he ran. Ruben played a "treat game" with the minors, the prosecutor said, in which he would access the boys' rooms when they were settling down and request they to eat sweets "as quickly as they can". She stated to the judge the defendant had played this game with the boys "repeatedly", and minors had previously fallen ill the subsequent day. She said Ruben had been able to explain this over a long period as the minors being "overwrought by enjoyment", until his stepson had suspicions in recently. Mrs Prior KC added: "Recently" his stepson had worries about the activities, for good reason. "They decided to have a look in the individual's items." Mrs Prior KC stated items including lubricant, ointment and medical needles were discovered, and his stepson notified the law enforcement about his worries. She said the man went on to engage in the "sweet game" with six children that night - that Saturday - and they were all ill the subsequent day. "Law enforcement" had not responded by that point," she added. The oversight body, the Independent Office for Police Conduct, earlier informed that it was investigating the police response of the events. Mrs Prior explained the children were unable to walk properly due to their condition, so the stepson notified the authorities again. She said the man then engaged in the "candy game" in a area of five youngsters.