A 76-year-old man from Ruddington in Nottinghamshire, named Jon Ruben, has confessed to a series of offenses. He admitted to sexually assaulting a child under 13, penetrating a child under 13, committing eight acts of child cruelty, producing three indecent images of children, and facing four drug-related charges. However, he has denied an additional charge of penetration assault, which prosecutors are reviewing.
Leicestershire Police received reports regarding Ruben’s actions at Stathern Lodge near Melton on July 25. Despite initial alerts, the police responded only after a third call on July 27, when several children at the camp became ill, feeling drowsy, and vomiting, with one child being unconscious.
During the trial at Leicester Crown Court, Mary Prior KC highlighted that there had been a recurring issue of children falling sick at Stathern Lodge, a camp for underprivileged children managed by Ruben for 27 years. Ruben, using his positions as a teacher and church leader, organized youth activities and selected children for the camp.
Mrs. Prior explained that Ruben would supervise putting boys to bed, providing them tranquilizer-laced sweets to induce sleep. She described a “sweet game” where boys were instructed to quickly consume the drugged sweets. The aim was to abuse selected boys while others were asleep, ensuring no witnesses.
Children who participated in the game struggled to wake up, had slurred speech, and experienced sickness. The morning after, they were extremely unwell, with one child unresponsive and others vomiting.
During a search of Stathern Lodge, authorities found drugs, vaseline, baby oil, sex toys, syringes, and injected sweets. Leicestershire Police has self-referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct regarding the incident handling timeline discrepancy.
It remains unclear if the police response delay led to the self-referral. The police clarified that the lodge’s owners were not involved in the incident. Stathern Lodge, a renovated farmhouse with sports facilities, is where the events occurred. Ruben awaits sentencing in court at a later date.