A Ruddington man who provided sweets to children at a summer camp which he had laced with sedatives has today been jailed.
Jon Ruben, 76, was sentenced to a total sentence of 23 years and eight months imprisonment at Leicester Crown Court after previously admitting offences including wilful ill treatment of eight children and possession of class C drugs following a police investigation which Senior Investigating Officer, Temporary Detective Chief Inspector Neil Holden described as “horrific, complex and emotional”.
Ruben, of Wayte Court, Landmere Lane, Ruddington also previously admitted sexual offences against two children and charges of possession of indecent images of children. None of the images concerned relate to children who were at the summer camp.
Earlier this week, he also admitted administering a poison/noxious substance to an adult victim with intent at the camp.
Jon Ruben
Today (Friday 6 Feb ), following the sentencing, the families of the young victims described the “shock, anxiety, distress, self-doubt and guilt” they are suffering adding: “but we know that it is you, Jon Ruben, who is to blame for this – no-one else.”
T/DCI Holden said that the force’s focus remains on the victims and their families “who have shown immense bravery as they have found out the truth about what happened.”
He added that the police investigation into Ruben remains “very much ongoing” with the force working alongside Nottinghamshire Police to contact schools and youth organisations in the Nottinghamshire area which Ruben is known to have been involved with across the past 20 or more years.
The charges which Ruben was sentenced for today came following police attending Stathern Lodge, Canal Lane, Stathern, near Melton, on Monday 28 July last year after concerns were raised that a number of children had become unwell while at the camp there which was being run by Ruben. A report was made that Ruben, who ran a charity providing short holiday breaks for children, may have been drugging children at the camp with a number of children reported to be unwell including feeling drowsy and sick.
East Midlands Ambulance Service also attended the scene with eight children, who were all boys aged between eight and 11, being taken to hospital as a precaution. An adult was also taken to hospital at the time. All were later discharged.
At the time of police attending, Ruben was found to be at a nearby pub with some of the children. He was arrested by officers at the pub and transported to custody.
Searches were carried out at Stathern Lodge with items including syringes and sedatives being found. A search at the defendant’s home also found syringes, sweets and sedatives.
Ruben provided no comment to questions asked during his initial police interviews. He did provide limited information to police in later interviews which were held. However, these interviews also included Ruben telling police that drugs which had been found belonged to someone else.
This included statements being taken from victims and witnesses, more than 100 exhibits being sent off for examination and analysis of digital devices seized.
These enquiries led to it being found that on the evenings of Saturday 26 July and Sunday 27 July, Ruben had carried out a ‘sweet game’ with a number of children at the lodge which involved encouraging them to eat the sweets and that the winner would receive a chocolate bar.
Following toxicology tests, a sedative was found to be present in children at the camp as well as within sweets which had been provided to the children. Inspection of the sweets found incision marks had been made.
Image of sweets which were seized during the investigation
Inspection of the sweets found incision marks which had been made
Analysis of devices belonging to Ruben were found to contain more than 50 category A indecent videos of children. Category A images as well as Category B and C videos were also found. The categories indicate the seriousness of the content shown with category A being the highest.
The enquiries carried out also found evidence that Ruben had sexually assaulted two boys – both victims were under 13-years-old.
The evidence gathered by the investigating team led to Ruben being further arrested in October last year on suspicion of further offences and interviewed.
On Friday 14 November last year, Ruben appeared at Leicester Crown Court where he pleaded guilty to:
- Eight counts of wilful ill treatment of a child in relation to eight separate victims
- One count of acquiring or possession of dutiable goods by fraudulent intent
- Three counts of possession of a class C drug
- Three counts of making indecent photographs of a child.
- One count of assault by penetration of a boy under 13
- One count of sexual assault of a boy under 13.
Following further investigation, on Wednesday this week (4 February), Ruben also pleaded guilty to administering a poison/noxious substance to an adult at the camp. This offence was carried out so that the adult victim was not awake while Ruben offended.
Temporary Detective Chief Inspector Holden said: “Our focus today must of course remain on the victims. Children innocently attended a summer camp led by someone who they looked up to and trusted. They have shown immense bravery as they have found out the truth about what happened and I am so very grateful to them for this.
“The courage and the dignity of all the victims involved and their families undoubtedly helped us in uncovering Ruben’s crimes. I know what has happened will remain with them for the rest of their lives and through dedicated Family Liaison Officers, and alongside other organisations, we have and continue to provide support to them.
“These crimes that Ruben committed were pre-planned and it is hard to imagine how someone could plot out what he did. He abused his position and the trust placed in him in a most horrendous way making children the victims of his crimes and without any thought of the impact his actions would have. I want to be open that we are under no illusion that we may never have the full answer regarding his crimes during previous years. Only Ruben knows that. However, what I can say is that our investigation does very much remain ongoing.
“We know that Ruben has worked in schools in the Nottinghamshire area as well as involved in youth organisations and previous summer camps over the past 20 years or more. Our ongoing investigation continues to focus on Ruben’s background and making contact with the schools, agencies and organisations we know he has been involved in to provide help, advice and support and to investigate any further information which we receive.
“Our Public Portal also remains open for people to make contact. Please know that we are here to speak to anyone who may have concerns that they have been a victim or witness of Ruben’s crimes previously, that their child could be a victim or who has any information. We are here to work with you, to safeguard you, to advise, to support and to investigate. Please speak with us or with someone you can trust so that the right action can be taken. You can contact police through the Public Portal at Public Portal, by reporting online at www.leics.police.uk, by calling 101 or by speaking directly with an officer. Support can also be found at the When You Are Ready website at When You Are Ready We want to listen to anyone who comes forward to us. Thank you.”
The owners and operators of Stathern Lodge are independent from those people who use or hire the lodge and are not connected to the incident.
Due to circumstances surrounding the initial police response to the report which was received, Leicestershire Police referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) in July last year.
Assistant Chief Constable James Avery said: “Our focus continues to remain on the victims involved in this investigation and their families. Through Family Liaison Officers, and alongside other organisations, we continue to ensure ongoing support is in place.
“Due to circumstances surrounding the initial police response to the report which was received, Leicestershire Police referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) in July last year.
“An independent IOPC investigation remains ongoing and we continue to co-operate with the IOPC as part of this.
“We are unable to comment further at this stage while the IOPC investigation remains ongoing.”
