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An individual who laced sweets with sedative and provided them to minors at a youth camp in the area has admitted sexual offenses against two boys both nine and 10.

The defendant was detained after eight youngsters and a grown-up experienced illness at the facility in July.

The senior citizen, from the Nottinghamshire area, confessed to a series of 17 offences when he stood at the courthouse on recently.

Nevertheless, he disputed one of the sexual offences he was accused of, which was involving a nine-year-old child.

Ruben was kept in jail before a further hearing on late November.

'Treat game'

Mary Prior KC, prosecuting, detailed the defendant's actions to the legal proceedings.

She said his those affected were under-privileged children who were attending a summer camp which he operated.

The man played a "candy game" with the youngsters, the legal counsel explained, in which he would enter the boys' rooms when they were getting ready for bed and tell them to eat sweets "as quickly as they can".

She told the court the defendant had engaged in this activity with the young males "over an extended period", and minors had earlier experienced illness the next day.

She stated the man had been capable of justifying this for many years as the children being "overexcited from fun", until his stepson had suspicions in recently.

The prosecutor continued: "Recently" his stepchild had worries about the situation, for good reason.

"They resolved" to have a look in the man's possessions."

Mrs Prior KC said items including infant oil, ointment and injection devices were discovered, and his stepson alerted the law enforcement about his suspicions.

She stated the man continued to engage in the "candy game" with six boys that evening - Saturday 26 July - and they were all sick the following morning.

"The police had not arrived by that stage," she added.

The police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct, had stated that it was examining Leicestershire Police's handling of the events.

Mrs Prior said the minors were unable to walk properly due to being ill, so the stepson notified the authorities again.

She said the man then played the "sweet game" in a room of five youngsters.