A person who laced treats with sleeping medication and distributed them to minors at a summer program in Leicestershire has confessed to sexual crimes against two children who were nine and ten years old.
The defendant was arrested after eight minors and one adult fell ill at the location in the summer month.
The elderly man, from Ruddington in Nottinghamshire, pleaded guilty to a series of 17 offences when he stood at Leicester Crown Court on the end of the week.
Nevertheless, he refused to admit one of the sexual offences he was facing, which was involving a nine-year-old child.
Ruben was remanded in custody before a additional proceeding on late November.
'Treat game'
The prosecutor, prosecuting, described Ruben's offending to the legal proceedings.
She said his targets were children from difficult backgrounds who were participating in a summer program which he operated.
The man engaged in a "candy game" with the children, the legal counsel stated, in which he would access the boys' rooms when they were preparing to sleep and ask them to eat sweets "as quickly as they can".
She told the court the defendant had conducted this practice with the boys "repeatedly", and minors had previously become sick the following morning.
She stated Ruben had been able to explain this for many years as the youngsters being "overstimulated by activities", until his stepson had suspicions in recently.
Mrs Prior KC added: "In the summer" his stepson had concerns about the situation, with valid cause.
"They chose" to examine in the man's possessions."
The prosecutor stated materials including baby oil, petroleum jelly and syringes were found, and his stepchild alerted the law enforcement about his worries.
She said the defendant proceeded to conduct the "candy game" with six children that night - that Saturday - and they were all ill the following morning.
"Law enforcement" had not gone out by that point," she continued.
The police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct, earlier informed that it was reviewing the police response of the situation.
Mrs Prior said the children were struggling to walk due to being ill, so the stepson called the authorities a second time.
She explained the defendant then played the "treat game" in a room of five youngsters.
