Jon Ruben, from Ruddington in Nottinghamshire, was jailed for 23 years and 10 months in February after his offending came to light when several children fell ill at a camp he was running in Stathern, Leicestershire, in July 2025.
Leicester Crown Court heard the former vet, teacher and church worker had used 'the cloak of Christianity' to target vulnerable children. Ruben had run a holiday camp for children for at least 27 years.
The court heard Ruben played a 'sweet game', in which he would go into boys' rooms when they were getting ready for bed and invite them to eat drug-laced sweets 'as quickly as they can'. Some of the boys fell ill after playing the game, and were seen the next morning 'walking into walls and in the wrong direction'.
Police were called to the camp by Ruben's stepson, who had found baby oil, Vaseline and syringes. Ruben was subsequently detained at a nearby pub and charged.