An individual who contaminated treats with sleeping medication and distributed them to youngsters at a summer camp in the region has confessed to sexual crimes against two boys both nine and ten years old.
The accused was taken into custody after eight children and an older person became sick at the facility in July.
The senior citizen, from the Nottinghamshire area, pleaded guilty to a series of 17 offences when he appeared at Leicester Crown Court on recently.
Yet, he denied a single sexual charge he was charged with, which was involving a nine-year-old boy.
The accused was kept in jail ahead of a subsequent court date on November 28th.
'Sweet game'
The prosecutor, presenting evidence, detailed the defendant's actions to the court.
She said his victims were under-privileged children who were attending a youth camp which he managed.
The man engaged in a "sweet game" with the children, the prosecutor stated, in which he would go into the boys' rooms when they were getting ready for bed and tell them to consume candy "as quickly as they can".
She told the court the man had engaged in this activity with the children "over an extended period", and minors had previously fallen ill the subsequent day.
She said the defendant had been able to explain this repeatedly as the minors being "overexcited from fun", until his stepson had suspicions in July 2025.
The prosecutor continued: "This year his stepchild had suspicions about the situation, justifiably.
"They resolved" to investigate in the individual's items."
The legal counsel explained items including baby oil, ointment and syringes were located, and his stepchild alerted the police about his suspicions.
She said the defendant continued to conduct the "sweet game" with six youngsters that evening - that Saturday - and they were all sick the following morning.
"The police had not gone out by that time," she stated further.
The oversight body, the police conduct office, earlier informed that it was examining the police response of the events.
The prosecutor said the children were unable to walk properly due to their condition, so Ruben's stepson notified the authorities once more.
She explained the man then conducted the "treat game" in a room of five youngsters.
