An individual who contaminated candy with sleeping medication and gave them to youngsters at a youth camp in the area has pleaded guilty to sexual offences against two young males who were between nine and ten.
The accused was detained after eight youngsters and one adult experienced illness at the facility in July.
The senior citizen, from Ruddington in Nottinghamshire, pleaded guilty to a multiple criminal counts when he appeared at the courthouse on Friday.
Nevertheless, he denied one particular crime he was charged with, which was involving a young boy.
The defendant was kept in jail ahead of a further hearing on late November.
'Candy game'
The prosecutor, prosecuting, outlined the criminal behavior to the legal proceedings.
She stated his targets were under-privileged children who were staying at a summer camp which he managed.
The man conducted a "sweet game" with the minors, the prosecutor explained, in which he would go into the children's bedrooms when they were settling down and tell them to consume candy "as quickly as they can".
She stated to the judge the man had engaged in this activity with the boys "for many years", and youngsters had previously fallen ill the subsequent day.
She stated Ruben 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 suspicions about what was going on, justifiably.
"They chose" to have a look in the defendant's belongings."
The legal counsel said objects including infant oil, petroleum jelly and injection devices were found, and his stepson notified the authorities about his worries.
She stated the defendant proceeded to play the "sweet game" with six children that time - Saturday 26 July - and they were all ill the next day.
"Authorities" had not gone out by that stage," she continued.
The regulatory agency, the investigative body, previously told that it was reviewing the police response of the incident.
The legal representative stated the youngsters were struggling to walk due to their sickness, so the family member called the law enforcement a second time.
She stated the man then played the "treat game" in a space of five minors.
