A depraved elderly sex offender who distributed candies containing tranquilizers to children during a summer camp has confessed to drugging his wife. Jon Ruben, a 76-year-old individual from Ruddington, Nottinghamshire, entered a guilty plea at Leicester Crown Court for administering a harmful substance with intent in July 2025.
Earlier, Ruben had already confessed to 17 offenses, which included eight instances of mistreating children, one count of acquiring dutiable goods through deception, three counts of possessing a class C drug, three counts of producing indecent child images, one count of assaulting a boy under 13, and one count of sexually assaulting a boy under 13.
Police officers responded to concerns at Stathern Lodge, a youth center near Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, on July 28 the previous year. It was reported that multiple children had fallen ill during the camp supervised by Ruben. Eight boys between the ages of eight and 11 were hospitalized as a precaution. Additionally, an adult was hospitalized, but all individuals were later discharged.
Ruben was apprehended at a nearby pub along with some children and subsequently arrested by the authorities. During searches conducted at Stathern Lodge, items such as baby oil, Vaseline, sedatives, and syringes were discovered among Ruben’s possessions.
Charged with three counts of child mistreatment, Ruben was arrested four days later on August 1. Following extensive investigations, which lasted three months, evidence of Ruben’s crimes was uncovered through detailed inquiries, victim statements, and digital device seizures.
The investigation revealed that Ruben engaged in a disturbing “sweet game” with children at the lodge on July 26 and 27, encouraging them to consume drugged sweets. Toxicology reports confirmed the presence of liquid Xanax in samples from the children and within the provided sweets, which also displayed incision marks.
Furthermore, searches on Ruben’s devices unveiled over 50 category A indecent child videos, including the most severe category A images, along with category B and C videos. Evidence suggested that Ruben had sexually assaulted two boys under the age of 13.
In subsequent arrests and interviews, Ruben admitted guilt to additional charges in November, including sexual assault, child cruelty, indecent image production, and drug-related offenses. None of the indecent images were related to the summer camp attendees.
During the trial, Ruben confessed to drugging his wife to prevent her from waking during the abuse at the camp, expressing remorse for his actions. He admitted administering Temazapam to Susan Ruben between July 26 and 29 the previous year. Ruben, once a veterinarian who operated a holiday camp for over 27 years, tearfully apologized in court and awaits sentencing. Judge Timothy Spencer at Leicester Crown Court emphasized the severity of the charges and warned Ruben of the impending sentencing.
