A PENSIONER who sexually abused children at a summer camp after giving them sedative-laced sweets has admitted also drugging his wife.
Jon Ruben, 76, preyed on two boys, aged nine and ten, at Stathern Lodge in Leicestershire after knocking them out.
Eight children – all boys aged between eight and 11 – and one adult were taken to hospital following the horror.
Ruben sobbed as he appeared at Leicester Crown Court today where he pleaded guilty to drugging his wife.
He admitted the offence of unlawfully and maliciously administered a noxious substance with intent to injure, aggrieve, or annoy, after giving a voluntary interview.
The court heard he drugged his wife over three days between 26 and 29 July so he could prey on the youngsters at the camp.
He wept “I’m so sorry” after entering his guilty plea today.
It comes after he previously admitted a total of 17 charges – including drugging and sexually assaulting the two boys.
He also admitted child cruelty towards six other victims and three counts of possessing a controlled drug of class C – flubromazolam, diazepam, and temazepam – and three counts of making indecent photos of children.
But he denied one of the sexual offences he was charged with against a nine-year-old boy.
Mary Prior KC, prosecuting, said Ruben played a “sweet game” with the children.
This involved going into the boys’ rooms when they were getting ready for bed and ask them to eat sweets “as quickly as they can”.
The prosecutor added: “The defendant has, for at least 27 years, run holiday camps for underprivileged, socially-deprived children.
“He has been the leader of that. using his job as a teacher and his role as a senior member of the church to run youth clubs, evening classes and a Sunday school, from which he selected which child ought to apply.
“There is a long history of children feeling sick at the camp, Stathern Lodge, over the years, but Stathern Lodge have no connection themselves, that is just where they rented accommodation.
“At Stathern Lodge, the defendant was in charge. He made the rules.
“For many years he has played what he called sweet game, in which he goes into the bedrooms where the children are in their pyjamas, and the game is that each has to eat three really sticky sweets as fast as they can but they must chew them.
“When that game has been played, children have always fallen ill the following morning, but Ruben always explained it as them being overwrought by enjoyment.”
The court heard this year, Ruben’s stepson “had concerns” and raised them with his partner.
They searched his belongings and discovered drugs, baby oil, Vaseline, sex toys, and syringes containing white powder so notified police.
His stepson made a second call after a group of children at the camp found it difficult to wake up or walk after a night at the camp.
Ruben, who was the secretary of the charity that ran the three-day holiday camp, was arrested in a pub car park after going for lunch with the children.
Officers found drugs and sweets that appeared to have been injected with something.
Asked by Judge Spencer if the boys had been given “sweets laced with tranquiliser drugs”, Mrs Prior replied: “They were.”
She added: “It took some work. The drugs have been crushed up sufficiently finely and he got sweets with wrappers onm and had injected drugs into them. Each child has been given three injected sweets.
“The purpose of drugging them was to sexually abuse the ones he picked, and to make sure the others were asleep and couldn’t witness it. It was happening in the children’s bedroom at night.”
The charges Ruben admitted in full
- Eight counts of wilful ill treatment of a child in relation to eight separate victims
- One count of acquiring or possession of dutiable goods by fraudulent intent
- Three counts of possession of a class C drug
- Three counts of making indecent photographs of a child.
- One count of assault by penetration of a boy under 13
- One count of sexual assault of a boy under 13.
The court heard one of the boys who had been targeted by Ruben became so ill he fell unconscious, and an ambulance was called.
Officers and the East Midlands Ambulance Service – including an air ambulance – swarmed the Christian camp
Leicestershire Police has now referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), who have launched a probe.
It came as officers admitted it received a report on July 27 of children feeling unwell but did not visit the camp until the following day.
The lodge is owned by Christian charity the Braithwaite Gospel Trust, which provides holiday clubs.
Ruben will be sentenced on Friday.
