Christian summer camp leader jailed for abuse

A former vet has been given an extended prison sentence totalling 31 years and 10 months for drugging and sexually abusing a group of young boys on a Christian summer camp he was leading.

Jon Ruben, 76, from Ruddington in Nottinghamshire, ran the camp at Stathern Lodge in Leicestershire, using a position of responsibility in his church community. He laced sweets with sedatives he had purchased online and tricked the children into eating them by encouraging them to take part in what he called ‘the sweet game’. He gave the boys the contaminated sweets and offered a prize to whoever ate them the quickest.

Later on, while the boys were heavily asleep, he went into their dormitory and chose individual boys to sexually abuse them. Because of the way Ruben had got hold of the sedatives he used on the children, he had used a more powerful drug than intended to subdue the victims, which left them feeling drowsy, nauseous and disorientated the following day.

The authorities were notified when camp volunteers raised concerns about the children’s welfare the morning after. While Ruben was supervising activities with children away from the camp, witnesses discovered syringes and drugs among Ruben’s possessions. That witness, a relative of Ruben, then raised suspicion about the discovery.

The affected children were taken to hospital and Ruben was arrested.

Following charge and during the course of proceedings, indecent images of children were found on his electronic devices, along with evidence of him procuring tranquiliser drugs and an attempt to join an online paedophile network.

In the face of overwhelming evidence, including his own admissions, he pleaded guilty to a series of offences relating to ill-treatment of children and sexual abuse. Prior to sentence he also admitted to drugging his wife, who was volunteering at the camp, in order to avoid detection.

He was today, Friday 6 February sentenced to 23 years and 10 months in custody with an extended licence of 8 years.

Janine McKinney of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Jon Ruben posed as a leader in his faith community and a dedicated Christian volunteer. The reality was that under the respectable veneer was a relentless predator, using the positions he had secured for himself to gain access to children.

“The events of last July were truly shocking. Ruben showed complete disregard for his victims. These were children entrusted into his care. He betrayed that trust to satisfy his own selfish desires, leaving the victims sick and traumatised and their families devastated by the betrayal.

“Although Ruben finally admitted to these offences, he subjected the victims and their families to months of uncertainty before they understood the extent of what had happened. I hope that seeing their abuser jailed will help them move on from this ordeal.”

Building the case: child sexual abuse

When Jon Ruben was arrested concerns had been made about the extent of his offending and why he had drugged the children.

At that early stage, there was sufficient evidence to charge him with ill treatment of children in relation to the victims who were most seriously unwell.

Evidence on his electronic devices of his sexual interest in young boys and the discovery at his home of syringes and a supply of various sedative drugs and sweets provided compelling evidence that he was using the drugged sweets to enable him to commit sexual offences.

In the face of this evidence, Ruben eventually pleaded guilty in respect of his offending against the boys at the camp in July 2025. He pleaded guilty to He pleaded guilty to child cruelty offences in relation to all of the victims affected, and sexual offences against those he had abused, including an allegation of sexual assault and an allegation of sexual assault by penetration.

The CPS held meetings with the victims’ families to ensure they were fully informed about the case and had the opportunity to raise any concerns they had.

During the sentencing hearing, the CPS made submissions that there was enough for a court to find the defendant dangerous. Jon Ruben was found to represent a danger and was sentenced accordingly.