An individual who laced sweets with sedative and gave them to children at a summer program in the region has confessed to sexual crimes against two young males who were nine and ten years old.
The accused was taken into custody after eight youngsters and one adult fell ill at the location in mid-summer.
The elderly man, from the Nottinghamshire area, confessed to a total of 17 charges when he was present at Leicester Crown Court on Friday.
However, he refused to admit one of the sexual offences he was facing, which was against a nine-year-old child.
Ruben was remanded in custody prior to a subsequent court date on November 28th.
'Candy game'
Mary Prior KC, presenting evidence, detailed the defendant's actions to the legal proceedings.
She said his victims were under-privileged children who were attending a summer program which he ran.
The defendant engaged in a "candy game" with the children, the legal counsel said, in which he would go into the children's bedrooms when they were settling down and tell them to eat sweets "rapidly".
She informed the proceedings Ruben had conducted this practice with the boys "for many years", and children had previously become sick the subsequent day.
She explained the defendant had been able to explain this repeatedly as the minors being "overstimulated by activities", until his stepchild had concerns in summer 2025.
The legal representative added: "In the summer" his stepchild had suspicions about the activities, with valid cause.
"They decided to have a look in the individual's items."
The legal counsel said objects including lubricant, ointment and syringes were discovered, and his stepson alerted the authorities about his suspicions.
She said the defendant went on to play the "sweet game" with six children that time - that Saturday - and they were everyone unwell the subsequent day.
"Law enforcement" had not responded by that time," she stated further.
The oversight body, the Independent Office for Police Conduct, earlier informed that it was reviewing Leicestershire Police's handling of the situation.
The prosecutor stated the youngsters were having difficulty walking due to their sickness, so Ruben's stepson notified the law enforcement once more.
She stated the man then engaged in the "treat game" in a area of five children.
