A person who spiked treats with sedative and provided them to minors at a summer program in the area has admitted sexual crimes against two children aged nine and ten years old.
The defendant was taken into custody after eight youngsters and an older person fell ill at the facility in the summer month.
The 76-year-old, from Ruddington in Nottinghamshire, admitted guilt to a total of 17 charges when he appeared at the courthouse on the end of the week.
Yet, he denied one of the sexual offences he was accused of, which was involving a nine-year-old boy.
The defendant was kept in jail before a further hearing on late November.
'Sweet game'
Mary Prior KC, prosecuting, described the defendant's actions to the judicial body.
She said his victims were under-privileged children who were staying at a summer program which he ran.
The man played a "sweet game" with the minors, Mrs Prior stated, in which he would access the boys' rooms when they were settling down and request they to eat sweets "as quickly as they can".
She told the court Ruben had engaged in this activity with the boys "over an extended period", and children had earlier experienced illness the following morning.
She stated the man had been successful in rationalizing this for many years as the youngsters being "overstimulated by activities", until his stepson had suspicions in recently.
The legal representative continued: "This year his family member had suspicions about the situation, with valid cause.
"They resolved" to investigate in the man's possessions."
The prosecutor explained materials including baby oil, petroleum jelly and medical needles were found, and his stepchild notified the police about his worries.
She stated the defendant proceeded to play the "candy game" with six youngsters that time - Saturday 26 July - and they were all ill the next day.
"Authorities" had not arrived by that time," she added.
The police watchdog, the police conduct office, earlier informed that it was investigating Leicestershire Police's handling of the incident.
The prosecutor said the children were having difficulty walking due to being ill, so the stepson notified the authorities a second time.
She stated the man then played the "sweet game" in a room of five children.
