A person who spiked treats with sleeping medication and provided them to children at a youth camp in the region has confessed to sexual offences against two children both nine and ten years old.
The accused was arrested after eight youngsters and a grown-up fell ill at Stathern Lodge in July.
The 76-year-old, from that region, confessed to a multiple criminal counts when he appeared at the courthouse on Friday.
Yet, he refused to admit one of the sexual offences he was accused of, which was involving a young boy.
Ruben was held in detention ahead of a additional proceeding on late November.
'Candy game'
The prosecutor, prosecuting, described the criminal behavior to the court.
She said his targets were disadvantaged youngsters who were attending a summer program which he ran.
The man engaged in a "treat game" with the minors, the prosecutor said, in which he would go into the children's bedrooms when they were getting ready for bed and tell them to ingest treats "as quickly as they can".
She informed the proceedings Ruben had played this game with the boys "for many years", and children had previously become sick the next day.
She said the man had been successful in rationalizing this for many years as the minors being "overexcited from fun", until his family member had suspicions in recently.
The legal representative added: "Recently" his stepchild had concerns about the activities, with valid cause.
"They decided to investigate in the man's possessions."
The prosecutor said items including infant oil, petroleum jelly and syringes were discovered, and his family member notified the police about his suspicions.
She stated Ruben continued to conduct the "treat game" with six children that night - that Saturday - and they were all ill the subsequent day.
"The police had not arrived by that time," she continued.
The police watchdog, the police conduct office, had stated that it was investigating law enforcement's management of the events.
The prosecutor explained the minors were having difficulty walking due to their sickness, so the family member contacted the law enforcement once more.
She explained the man then engaged in the "candy game" in a room of five minors.
