A person who spiked candy with sleeping medication and provided them to minors at a summer program in Leicestershire has pleaded guilty to sexual offences against two young males aged nine and 10.
The accused was detained after eight youngsters and one adult became sick at the location in July.
The senior citizen, from that region, pleaded guilty to a multiple criminal counts when he appeared at the courthouse on the end of the week.
However, he denied one of the sexual offences he was facing, which was concerning a nine-year-old boy.
Ruben was kept in jail before a further hearing on 28 November.
'Treat game'
Mary Prior KC, prosecuting, outlined the defendant's actions to the court.
She said his victims were disadvantaged youngsters who were attending a summer program which he ran.
The man engaged in a "candy game" with the children, the legal counsel stated, in which he would go into the children's bedrooms when they were preparing to sleep and request they to ingest treats "as fast as possible".
She stated to the judge Ruben had engaged in this activity with the young males "over an extended period", and children had previously fallen ill the next day.
She said the man had been capable of justifying this repeatedly as the youngsters being "overexcited from fun", until his stepson had suspicions in summer 2025.
The legal representative added: "In the summer" his stepchild had concerns about what was going on, for good reason.
"They decided to have a look in the individual's items."
The prosecutor said items including infant oil, Vaseline and injection devices were discovered, and his stepchild alerted the law enforcement about his suspicions.
She explained the man went on to engage in the "treat game" with six youngsters that evening - that Saturday - and they were everyone unwell the following morning.
"The police had not gone out by that time," she added.
The police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct, previously told that it was examining Leicestershire Police's handling of the situation.
Mrs Prior stated the minors were having difficulty walking due to their sickness, so the family member contacted the police once more.
She explained the man then engaged in the "sweet game" in a space of five youngsters.
