A man who laced sweets with tranquilliser and gave them to minors at a summer camp in the area has admitted sexual crimes against two young males aged nine and ten years old.
The defendant was detained after eight youngsters and a grown-up experienced illness at Stathern Lodge in July.
The elderly man, from that region, confessed to a total of 17 charges when he stood at the judicial center on recently.
Yet, he denied one of the sexual offences he was facing, which was concerning a young boy.
The accused was held in detention before a additional proceeding on 28 November.
'Candy game'
The legal representative, handling the case, described the criminal behavior to the legal proceedings.
She said his targets were under-privileged children who were participating in a summer camp which he managed.
The man played a "sweet game" with the children, the legal counsel said, in which he would go into the boys' rooms when they were preparing to sleep and tell them to ingest treats "as fast as possible".
She told the court Ruben had engaged in this activity with the young males "for many years", and children had previously fallen ill the subsequent day.
She said Ruben had been successful in rationalizing this over a long period as the minors being "overexcited from fun", until his stepchild had concerns in summer 2025.
The legal representative added: "In the summer" his stepson had suspicions about what was going on, for good reason.
"They decided to have a look in the individual's items."
The prosecutor explained items including baby oil, Vaseline and injection devices were located, and his stepchild alerted the authorities about his concerns.
She said the man proceeded to engage in the "candy game" with six boys that time - that Saturday - and they were everyone unwell the subsequent day.
"The police had not responded by that time," she continued.
The police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct, had stated that it was investigating law enforcement's management of the events.
The legal representative explained the children were unable to walk properly due to their sickness, so the stepson notified the authorities again.
She stated the defendant then engaged in the "treat game" in a area of five children.
