A man who laced candy with tranquilliser and gave them to children at a summer camp in the area has pleaded guilty to sexual offences against two children aged between nine and ten.
The defendant was arrested after eight youngsters and one adult fell ill at Stathern Lodge in the summer month.
The elderly man, from the Nottinghamshire area, admitted guilt to a multiple criminal counts when he stood at Leicester Crown Court on recently.
Yet, he disputed a single sexual charge he was accused of, which was concerning a young boy.
The accused was remanded in custody prior to a further hearing on November 28th.
'Candy game'
The prosecutor, handling the case, detailed the defendant's actions to the legal proceedings.
She stated his targets were disadvantaged youngsters who were attending a summer camp which he operated.
The defendant engaged in a "candy game" with the youngsters, Mrs Prior said, in which he would access the children's bedrooms when they were settling down and request they to eat sweets "as quickly as they can".
She told the court the defendant had played this game with the children "repeatedly", and youngsters had earlier experienced illness the subsequent day.
She stated the man had been capable of justifying this over a long period as the children being "overexcited from fun", until his stepchild had suspicions in summer 2025.
The prosecutor stated further: "In the summer" his stepchild had suspicions about what was going on, for good reason.
"They resolved" to examine in the defendant's belongings."
The legal counsel stated materials including baby oil, Vaseline and injection devices were discovered, and his stepson alerted the authorities about his concerns.
She said the defendant continued to conduct the "candy game" with six children that night - that Saturday - and they were all sick the next day.
"The police had not responded by that time," she added.
The regulatory agency, the Independent Office for Police Conduct, earlier informed that it was reviewing the police response of the incident.
The legal representative stated the minors were having difficulty walking due to being ill, so the stepson notified the authorities once more.
She said Ruben then engaged in the "candy game" in a room of five children.
