A person who contaminated sweets with sleeping medication and provided them to minors at a youth camp in the area has admitted sexual crimes against two children who were between nine and ten.
The defendant was arrested after eight youngsters and an older person fell ill at the location in mid-summer.
The elderly man, from Ruddington in Nottinghamshire, admitted guilt to a total of 17 charges when he was present at the courthouse on the end of the week.
However, he refused to admit a single sexual charge he was facing, which was concerning a nine-year-old child.
The defendant was held in detention before a additional proceeding on late November.
'Sweet game'
Mary Prior KC, handling the case, outlined Ruben's offending to the legal proceedings.
She stated his targets were children from difficult backgrounds who were staying at a summer program which he ran.
The man played a "treat game" with the children, the legal counsel stated, in which he would go into the children's bedrooms when they were preparing to sleep and ask them to consume candy "as fast as possible".
She informed the proceedings Ruben had conducted this practice with the children "over an extended period", and children had earlier experienced illness the next day.
She explained the defendant had been successful in rationalizing this repeatedly as the youngsters being "overexcited from fun", until his stepson had worries in recently.
The legal representative continued: "Recently" his stepson had worries about the activities, with valid cause.
"They decided to examine in the defendant's belongings."
The prosecutor explained objects including baby oil, Vaseline and syringes were located, and his stepson notified the authorities about his suspicions.
She said the man continued to play the "treat game" with six children that time - that Saturday - and they were all ill the next day.
"The police had not gone out by that point," she added.
The oversight body, the investigative body, earlier informed that it was reviewing Leicestershire Police's handling of the situation.
Mrs Prior explained the minors were unable to walk properly due to being ill, so Ruben's stepson notified the law enforcement again.
She explained the defendant then engaged in the "treat game" in a area of five youngsters.
