A person who contaminated sweets with sedative and gave them to children at a youth camp in the area has confessed to sexual offences against two young males who were nine and ten years old.
Jon Ruben was taken into custody after eight youngsters and an older person experienced illness at Stathern Lodge in July.
The senior citizen, from Ruddington in Nottinghamshire, pleaded guilty to a total of 17 charges when he stood at the courthouse on the end of the week.
However, he refused to admit one of the sexual offences he was facing, which was against a nine-year-old boy.
The accused was remanded in custody ahead of a subsequent court date on late November.
'Sweet game'
The legal representative, handling the case, outlined the criminal behavior to the legal proceedings.
She said his targets were disadvantaged youngsters who were attending a summer program which he operated.
Ruben played a "candy game" with the minors, the legal counsel stated, in which he would access the boys' rooms when they were preparing to sleep and request they to consume candy "as fast as possible".
She told the court Ruben had played this game with the young males "for many years", and children had earlier experienced illness the subsequent day.
She explained the defendant had been capable of justifying this over a long period as the minors being "overexcited from fun", until his stepchild had suspicions in July 2025.
Mrs Prior KC stated further: "Recently" his family member had worries about the situation, for good reason.
"They decided to examine in the individual's items."
The legal counsel stated items including infant oil, petroleum jelly and injection devices were discovered, and his family member contacted the police about his worries.
She said the defendant continued to play the "sweet game" with six boys that time - July 26th - and they were all ill the subsequent day.
"Law enforcement" had not gone out by that point," she added.
The regulatory agency, the police conduct office, previously told that it was examining Leicestershire Police's handling of the incident.
The legal representative explained the children were unable to walk properly due to their condition, so the family member notified the law enforcement once more.
She said the man then engaged in the "sweet game" in a room of five youngsters.
