Man, 76, in Court Over Alleged Drugging of Children at Leicestershire Summer Camp

A 76-year-old man has been remanded in custody after appearing in court over allegations he laced sweets with sedatives at a children’s summer camp in Leicestershire.

Jon Ruben, of Wayte Court, Ruddington, Nottinghamshire, was arrested following a Leicestershire Police investigation into the incident at Stathern Lodge, Stathern. Eight boys, aged between eight and 11, along with one adult, were taken to hospital on Monday after falling ill. All have since been discharged.

Ruben is facing three counts of wilful ill-treatment of a child, relating to alleged offences involving three boys between 25 and 29 July. The charges accuse him of assaulting, neglecting, or exposing the children to unnecessary suffering or injury.

During a brief appearance at Leicester Magistrates’ Court on Saturday, the defendant gave no indication of how he would plead. He was remanded in custody and is scheduled to appear at Leicester Crown Court on 29 August.

Leicestershire Police said they received the initial report on Sunday that children at the camp had become unwell. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has launched an investigation into how the police handled the incident.