A man who laced sweets with sleeping medication and distributed them to youngsters at a youth camp in the region has pleaded guilty to sexual offences against two children both between nine and ten.
The accused was taken into custody after eight children and a grown-up became sick at the facility in July.
The elderly man, from the Nottinghamshire area, pleaded guilty to a multiple criminal counts when he appeared at Leicester Crown Court on recently.
Yet, he denied one of the sexual offences he was accused of, which was concerning a nine-year-old child.
Ruben was held in detention ahead of a further hearing on November 28th.
'Candy game'
The legal representative, handling the case, detailed the defendant's actions to the legal proceedings.
She explained his victims were children from difficult backgrounds who were participating in a summer camp which he operated.
The defendant conducted a "candy game" with the children, the prosecutor said, in which he would go into the boys' rooms when they were settling down and tell them to consume candy "as fast as possible".
She told the court the man had engaged in this activity with the young males "for many years", and minors had previously fallen ill the following morning.
She said the defendant had been capable of justifying this repeatedly as the minors being "overexcited from fun", until his stepson had concerns in July 2025.
The legal representative added: "In the summer" his stepchild had suspicions about what was going on, for good reason.
"They chose" to examine in the defendant's belongings."
Mrs Prior KC explained materials including baby oil, ointment and syringes were located, and his family member contacted the authorities about his suspicions.
She explained the man proceeded to engage in the "sweet game" with six youngsters that night - July 26th - and they were everyone unwell the next day.
"The police had not arrived by that point," she stated further.
The police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct, had stated that it was examining the police response of the events.
The prosecutor stated the youngsters were struggling to walk due to their condition, so the family member notified the law enforcement again.
She said the man then played the "treat game" in a room of five children.
