Man charged after kids at camp allegedly sickened by sedatives in candy in England

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LONDON — 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.

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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 kilometres) 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.

Ruben, whose home address is about 15 miles (24 kilometres) 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.”