UK man charged with poisoning children with sedative-laced candy at summer camp
A 76-year-old man has been charged and remanded in custody in the United Kingdom, suspected of poisoning children with candy laced with sedatives during a summer camp in central England. John Ruben, who lives near Nottingham, appeared briefly before Leicester Magistrates’ Court on Saturday. He confirmed his identity and was remanded until his next hearing on August 29.
The prosecution announced the charges on Friday, accusing Ruben of acts of cruelty toward three young boys attending the camp. According to reports presented during the hearing, the man allegedly gave the children candy containing sedatives.
The incident occurred at a holiday camp in Stathern, Leicestershire, held between July 25 and 29. According to local police, they were alerted on Sunday that several children at the Stathern Lodge — a renovated former farmhouse — were “feeling unwell.”
Eight boys aged between eight and eleven, along with one adult, were taken to hospital as a precaution. All were later discharged. Ruben was arrested on Monday evening in a nearby pub.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has launched an investigation into how local authorities handled the case. The agency stated that the investigation would assess whether any failings led to delays in the Leicestershire police response.
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