United Kingdom: children poisoned with sedative candies

John Ruben, who lives near Nottingham, briefly appeared on Saturday before the Leicester court, where he declined his identity, and was imprisoned pending a next hearing on August 29.

The prosecution had announced the charge of this man the day before, for acts of cruelty to three young boys participating in a holiday camp.

For this, he would have used candy mixed with sedatives, he was indicated during the hearing according to the British agency PA.

The facts occurred in a holiday camp located in Stathern, in Leicestershire, organized between July 25 and 29.

Local police said they were informed on Sunday that several children accommodated at the Stathern Lodge, a former renovated farm, “did not feel well”.

Eight children, boys aged eight to 11 years old, and an adult was taken to the hospital “as a precaution”, but all were allowed to go out later, she said.

John Ruben was arrested on Monday evening in a nearby advertising.

Police police, the IOPC, said investigate how local police have managed this incident.

“The investigation will determine if there have been shortcomings (…) which led to a delay in the response of the Police of Leicestershire,” she said in a statement on Thursday.