A trial date has been set for a 76-year-old man accused of giving sweets laced with sedatives to children at a summer camp.
Jon Ruben, of Wayte Court in Ruddington, Nottinghamshire, is accused of child cruelty offences relating to three boys who fell ill at the summer holiday event at Stathern Lodge in Leicestershire last month.
Appearing at Leicester Crown Court on Friday, wearing a dark grey sweatshirt, he spoke only to confirm his name during a brief 16-minute hearing.
Ruben was not asked to enter pleas to three counts of wilfully assaulting, ill-treating, neglecting, abandoning or exposing children in a manner likely to cause them unnecessary suffering or injury to health between 25 and 29 July.
He was remanded in custody until his plea hearing on 14 November.
A provisional trial date was set for 27 January next year. The hearing is expected to last four weeks.
Eight children, all boys aged between eight and 11, and one adult were taken to hospital as a precaution but were discharged after a report was made to police on 27 July.
Ruben was arrested on suspicion of administering poison or a noxious thing with intent to injure, aggrieve or annoy in a nearby pub car park the day after police received a report about children feeling unwell.
The previous court hearing was told that the charges relate to sweets which were allegedly laced with sedatives.
Neighbours described seeing distressed parents outside the village hall in nearby Plungar, which was used as a triage centre for the children on 28 July.
Leicestershire Police has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct over its handling of the incident.
The force originally said the incident happened on Monday July 28, before amending it to Sunday July 27.
