After a group of boys and a counselor became sick at a summer camp in the United Kingdom, staff members grew concerned. The mysterious Illnesses occurred at Stathern Lodge in Stathern, Leicestershire, on July 27, 2025. After calling emergency services for help, medics and police arrived at the scene. Through an investigation, police say Jon Ruben, 76, gave the people who became sick sedative-laced candy. Now he faces charges.
According to police, eight boys between the ages of 8 and 11, and a camp counselor became ill.
“Officers were deployed along with the East Midlands Ambulance Service to safeguard those children concerned,” police explained in a press release. “A triage centre was set up in partnership with the East Midlands Ambulance Service at Plungar village hall to assess all children present at the camp. Following an initial assessment, eight children and one adult were taken to hospital as a precaution and have all since been discharged.”
According to CBS News, police arrested Ruben at a pub not far from the lodge, on July 28, under suspicion of “administering poison/a noxious thing with intent to injure, aggrieve, or annoy.”
Janine McKinney, chief crown prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service in the East Midlands, told the BBC it was a disturbing case.
“This has been an extremely upsetting and shocking moment for the community, and especially for the children and parents most directly affected,” she said. “We would like to remind all concerned that there are now active criminal proceedings against Mr Ruben, and he has the right to a fair trial.”
Ruben faces three counts of willful ill treatment of a child. He was due in court on August 2.
