Prosecutors say kids at a camp were sickened by sedatives in candy. A
76-year-old has been charged
[August 04, 2025]
LONDON (AP) — A 76-year-old man appeared in a court in central England
on Saturday to face child cruelty charges after several boys at a summer
camp were sickened by what prosecutors say was candy laced with
sedatives.
Jon Ruben was ordered detained until a hearing on Aug. 29. He did not
enter a plea during the brief hearing at Leicester Magistrates’ Court.
Police say they received a report on Sunday that children had fallen
sick at Stathern Lodge, a converted farmhouse with a sports hall and
catering facilities about 120 miles (190 kilometers) north of London.
Eight boys between 8 and 11 and one adult were taken to a hospital as a
precaution. All were later discharged.
Ruben was arrested on Monday at a pub near the lodge.
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 Ruben, whose home address is about
15 miles (24 kilometers) from the lodge, faces three charges of
“wilfully assaulting, ill-treating, neglecting, abandoning or
exposing children in a manner likely to cause them unnecessary
suffering or injury to health,” relating to three boys at the camp.
The lodge is owned by Braithwaite Gospel Trust, a Christian charity.
Police stressed that the owners “are independent from those people
who use or hire the lodge and are not connected to the incident.”
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