Boys who were drugged by a summer camp leader before he sexually assaulted two of them were “tired and floppy and seeming to be drunk” after eating sweets he had laced with sedatives.
Jon Ruben, 76, invited the children to eat quickly in a “sweet game” he had played at the camp he ran at Stathern Lodge, in Stathern, Leicestershire. Ruben also sedated his wife so she would not wake while the abuse took place.
After eight children and an adult fell ill at the last camp, Ruben was arrested last July and later pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting two boys, as well as child cruelty towards six other children.
Earlier this week, he also admitted administering a poison or noxious substance to his wife, Susan, during the weekend break.
Ruben, who had also pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children and four drug charges, is appearing at Leicester Crown Court on Friday to be sentenced.
Opening the prosecution’s case during the hearing, Mary Prior KC told the court: “Using the knowledge he gained as a veterinary surgeon, the defendant refined the use of sedatives to facilitate sexual offending on children and vulnerable children at that.”
Ruben’s wife told his sentencing hearing he had “spent decades trying to paint a picture that he was a righteous, honourable man, when he was actually a sadistic, monstrous, paedophile”.
The defendant did not look up and sobbed at various points while his wife Susan Ruben gave her victim impact statement.
She said they were supposed to celebrate their silver wedding anniversary next week but she had commenced divorce proceedings after his arrest.
“This was not the man I thought I married… My life has been turned upside down along with other people’s,” she told the court.
“I have now found out I have no idea who Jon Ruben is and I feel completely betrayed by the immense breach of trust he has inflicted on me, the children, and their parents.”
For at least 27 years, Ruben had run the holiday camps for children living in disadvantaged areas of Nottinghamshire.
At the rented premises, which were not connected to the camp itself, an earlier court hearing heard how there had been a long history of children falling sick at the camp.
Ruben’s skill in poisoning had been “honed over many years”, Ms Prior KC told the sentencing hearing, and his actions were “premeditated and planned”.
“The defendant illegally purchased sedatives which, having carefully researched the quantity he needed, using his skill set as a vet to equate the amount needed to sedate animals, he crushed and injected into specially chosen very sweet, very sticky sweets.”
The day after they were drugged, the boys were described as “tired and floppy and seeming to be drunk”.
The defendant thought the sedative was called Temazepam, but because it was bought on the dark web, it was in fact liquid Xanax.
The court was shown images of a “chocolate poisoning chart” belonging to Ruben, which showed how much of the drug was required for a child, an adult, a large dog and a small dog.
The court heard Ruben took with him to the summer camp a bag with baby oil, Vaseline and other items to “assist him in offending”.
He “carefully chose” the boys who he placed in the rooms closest to his bedroom and away from others, Ms Prior said.
Ruben attempted to interrupt the sentencing hearing by shouting “no” after Ms Prior told the court he had breached his own safeguarding rules.
Judge Timothy Spencer KC told Ruben he could not shout out, and he did not want to hear him shout again from the dock.
“I’m sorry, your Honour, I’m sorry,” the defendant said from the dock, as he cried and held his hand to his face.
Some of the child victims had up to four of the sweets that had been laced with sedatives when Ruben had only planned to give them one, Ms Prior KC said.
Ruben leaned forward in the dock with his head in his hands as graphic details of how he abused the boys was read out to the court.
Some of the victims’ parents in the courtroom sobbed as the details of his offending were read out.
“If you want to take a break, there’s a door there,” the judge said as some of the victims’ loved ones left the room.
Ruben sobbed and said “I’m so sorry” in the dock, as the judge ordered that the defendant must stay where he is.
The mother of one of Ruben’s victims called the defendant a “creature” who “does not experience any emotions” in a statement she read to the court.
Another child’s mother said Ruben had “ruined the lives of these children”.
She told the court: “I can’t stop thinking about Jon drugging these children and the damage he could have caused.”
She continued: “We all know who’s to blame for this and it’s you, Jon Ruben.”
Addressing Ruben, the woman said: “You’ve ruined the lives of these children. You could have killed a child.
“I want you to suffer every day.”
Concluding her statement, the child’s mother said: “They’re just kids. Little did we know it was part of your grooming. You disgusting, vile man.”
Ruben’s stepson became suspicious and searched the offender’s room, where he found baby oil and syringes with white powder. Leicestershire Police were called, but did not arrive until the following day.
The force, which has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), attended the camp, around 18 miles from Nottingham, to find the eight children and the adult unwell. Further investigation revealed two boys aged under 13 had been sexually assaulted.
Ruben was tracked down and arrested at a nearby pub where he had gone with some of the children from the camp.
His defence barrister told the court Ruben is the “epitome of remorse”.
Thomas Schofield KC said: “His letters of apology to the victims, should they choose to accept it, is an expression of that genuine remorse.”
He added: “This defendant could have put his victims through a trial, the thought of that is horrendous.
“Unlike many perpetrators of child sexual offences, he didn’t take the approach I referred to, he faced up to what he did and accepted it and in my submission, that is genuine remorse.”
The indecent images charges admitted by Ruben related to 50 Category A indecent videos of children, 22 Category B videos and seven Category C videos made between August 2023 and June this year. None of the images concerned relate to children who were at the summer camp.
Leicestershire Police is continuing its appeal for any other potential victims of Ruben to come forward.
The judge is expected to pass sentence later on Friday.
