A 76-year-old sex offender who ran a summer camp in Leicestershire has admitted to a horrifying pattern of crimes, including drugging his own wife to prevent her from waking during his abuse of children. Jon Ruben, from Ruddington in Nottinghamshire, entered his guilty plea at Leicester Crown Court this week, revealing disturbing new details about his predatory behaviour.
Summer Camp Horror Unfolds
Police were called to Stathern Lodge, a youth centre near Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, on July 28, 2025, after multiple children became unwell during a summer camp operated by Ruben. Eight boys aged between eight and eleven, along with one adult, were taken to hospital as a precautionary measure, though all were later discharged. Officers discovered Ruben at a nearby pub with some of the children and promptly arrested him.
Disturbing Evidence Discovered
Subsequent searches of the summer camp premises uncovered a cache of disturbing items among Ruben's possessions. Investigators found baby oil, Vaseline, sedatives, and syringes at the location. Most alarmingly, they discovered sweets that had been laced with liquid Xanax, a powerful tranquiliser, with visible incision marks indicating deliberate tampering.
Toxicology reports confirmed the presence of the sedative in samples taken from the children who attended the camp, as well as within the sweets Ruben had provided. This evidence supported witness accounts describing a so-called 'sweet game' that Ruben conducted with children on the evenings of July 26 and 27, during which he encouraged them to consume the drugged confectionery.
Multiple Guilty Pleas Entered
Ruben has now pleaded guilty to a total of 18 offences, including the recent admission of administering a poison or noxious substance to his wife, Susan Ruben, between July 26 and 29, 2025. The substance was identified as Temazapam, another sedative medication.
During his trial, prosecutor Mary Prior KC revealed that Ruben had confessed to police during a voluntary interview that he drugged his wife specifically so she would not wake while he sexually assaulted children at the camp. This chilling admission adds another layer of premeditation to his already extensive catalogue of crimes.
Previous Convictions and Evidence
Prior to this latest admission, Ruben had already pleaded guilty to 17 other offences, including eight counts of wilful ill treatment of children relating to eight separate victims. His convictions also include assault by penetration of a boy under 13, sexual assault of a boy under 13, three counts of possession of a Class C drug, three counts of making indecent photographs of children, and one count of acquiring or possessing dutiable goods by fraudulent intent.
Digital forensic examinations of Ruben's devices revealed more than 50 Category A indecent videos of children, representing the most severe classification of such material. Category B and C videos were also discovered, though none of these images related to children who attended the summer camp.
Courtroom Drama and Sentencing
During his plea hearing at Leicester Crown Court, Ruben sobbed in the dock and uttered "I'm so sorry" after entering his guilty plea. Judge Timothy Spencer KC described the charges as "extremely serious" and noted that Ruben appeared "unusually" upset during proceedings. The judge warned the defendant that his upcoming sentencing would be a "very tough day."
Ruben, who was once a veterinarian and had operated holiday camps for at least 27 years, is due to be sentenced on Friday for all offences. The case has shocked the local community and raised serious questions about safeguarding procedures at such residential camps.
Detectives spent three months conducting what they described as "detailed and dedicated enquiries" to uncover the full extent of Ruben's crimes. Their investigation involved taking statements from victims and witnesses, sending items for forensic examination, and seizing digital devices that ultimately revealed the horrific scale of his offending.
