An individual who contaminated candy with sedative and gave them to minors at a summer camp in the area has confessed to sexual offenses against two young males both nine and 10.
The accused was taken into custody after eight youngsters and an older person fell ill at Stathern Lodge in mid-summer.
The elderly man, from Ruddington in Nottinghamshire, confessed to a total of 17 charges when he appeared at the courthouse on recently.
Nevertheless, he disputed a single sexual charge he was facing, which was concerning a nine-year-old child.
Ruben was remanded in custody ahead of a further hearing on late November.
'Sweet game'
Mary Prior KC, presenting evidence, detailed the defendant's actions to the court.
She stated his victims were under-privileged children who were staying at a summer program which he ran.
The defendant conducted a "sweet game" with the children, the prosecutor stated, in which he would access the children's bedrooms when they were getting ready for bed and request they to consume candy "as fast as possible".
She informed the proceedings Ruben had conducted this practice with the young males "for many years", and children had previously fallen ill the following morning.
She stated the man had been able to explain this repeatedly as the children being "overexcited from fun", until his family member had suspicions in recently.
The legal representative added: "This year his stepson had worries about the activities, for good reason.
"They decided to investigate in the individual's items."
The legal counsel said materials including lubricant, petroleum jelly and syringes were discovered, and his family member alerted the authorities about his suspicions.
She explained the defendant continued to conduct the "sweet game" with six boys that night - Saturday 26 July - and they were everyone unwell the following morning.
"Authorities" had not gone out by that stage," she stated further.
The police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct, previously told that it was investigating the police response of the events.
The prosecutor stated the youngsters were struggling to walk due to being ill, so the stepson called the authorities a second time.
She said the man then played the "candy game" in a area of five children.
