Man Remanded Over Sedative-Laced Sweets at Leicestershire Summer Camp

Jon Ruben, a 76-year-old man from Nottinghamshire, has been remanded in custody charged with child cruelty offences after sweets allegedly laced with sedatives were given to children at a summer camp in Leicestershire. The charges relate to three boys at the camp, which took place between July 25 and July 29, during which eight boys aged 8 to 11 and one adult became ill and were taken to hospital as a precaution before being discharged. Ruben appeared in Leicester Magistrates’ Court, where he confirmed his identity but gave no indication of his pleas, and he is scheduled to appear next at Leicester Crown Court on August 29. The sweets incident occurred at Stathern Lodge, a converted farmhouse used for the camp, whose owners and operators are not connected to the incident. Leicestershire Police are leading the investigation, with the East Midlands special operations unit’s major incident team involved, and have referred themselves to the Independent Office for Police Conduct due to uncertainties about the timing of their response to the incident. Neighbors reported seeing distressed parents outside a nearby triage center, highlighting the community impact of the event.