The dark web and drug-laced sweets – how ‘vile’ summer camp leader Jon Ruben betrayed a city to abuse children
Jon Ruben was a pillar of the community. A highly respected retired veterinary surgeon, he offered a free annual Christian summer camp to children in poor areas of Nottingham, filled with outdoor games and educational activities to boost their self-confidence.
The three-day trips, held at Stathern Lodge 18 miles from the city, were so popular that places were booked months in advance; Charitable groups happily supported the initiative with donations worth thousands of pounds.
As one local noted, “Jon was like a guiding light for a lot of little kids in the city.”
But the 76-year-old man had a disturbing, dark secret; It’s a secret that apparently even he was tortured.
While working under the guise of offering young people an escape from city life, Ruben concealed his deep sexual interest in children, driving him to commit horrific crimes and luring his victims into what he called “the sweet game.”
Before going to bed, the children were treated to sweets wrapped in bright purple wrappers by Reuben; Ruben challenged them to eat quickly, and the winner was given a prize such as chocolate. But unbeknownst to the eaters or the youth camp leaders, Ruben had injected the treats with a fast-acting sedative.
Ruben sexually abused two children at his last holiday camp in July while the children lay drugged. He even drugged his own wife, Susan, who was also in the camp, so that he could carry out his attacks unnoticed.
Reuben was only exposed when his suspicious stepson raised the alarm after finding a syringe, baby oil and white powder in Reuben’s room at the camp.
On Friday, he was sentenced to 23 years and 10 months in prison after admitting assaulting two children, eight counts of child cruelty and three counts of making indecent images of children.
Interim Detective Inspector Neil Holden, of Leicestershire Police, said: “Jon Ruben is a despicable, appalling criminal who used his position of trust in society to allow him access to children for his own sexual gratification in a number of instances where children were highly vulnerable.”
Det Insp Holden said Ruben used his veterinary experience to choose the right sedative for the “desired effect” before buying it from the dark web. He said that when the substance was injected into the candies, the children became drowsy and could not remember when they woke up the previous evening.
Medical checks of the children revealed abuse, and subsequent searches revealed more crimes.
Officers found baby oil and drugs, as well as sex toys, in Ruben’s room at the hostel. A “large number” of indecent images of children were found on his electronic devices, many of which were in the most serious category.
Disturbingly, an “application form” Ruben had written for an online pedophile group was found. In this document, he shared his sexual interest in children between the ages of eight and 12. Det Insp Holden said handwritten notes were also found at his home which showed he was “at war with himself” over his sexual interest in children.
Det Insp Holden said in his police interview Reuben initially refused to comment on his crimes, but even when he did he showed no remorse. But he showed no emotion when he appeared in court last week, sobbing after pleading guilty to drugging his wife.
The case has devastated those who trusted the former church worker, but few people close to Ruben or who support his work wanted to talk about it in his hometown of Ruddington this week.
Reuben’s semi-detached house, in an affluent area that was once home to a Premier League footballer, appeared empty on Wednesday and neighbors did not want to talk about it.
Outside St. Peter’s Church in the village centre, those who knew him, including the priest, did not want to comment on the incident, which has been on the agenda of the community since his arrest last July.
“We were given a brief description of what happened during the service,” said churchgoer Julie Dennis. “I don’t think it was a reflection on the church, but it was still a huge shock to everyone. I don’t think people who knew him can still believe it.”
“This was a great betrayal of the church, the church community and the entire city; my thoughts are with his victims and their families,” another woman outside the church said.
Ruben’s charity, The Stathern Children’s Holiday Fund, said in its latest accounts submitted last year, including St. Louis in Ruddington. It periodically ran school clubs for 109 children in three schools, including St. Peter’s Junior School.
Demand for places in the camps in 2024 was “very high” and applications were closed several months in advance. That year, 64 children under the age of 11 went on one of two three-day holidays to Stathern Lodge.
While Olympic-themed children decorated the lodge’s hall with the Eiffel Tower, football and dance workshops were also organized. The report stated that most of those leaving were from the Aspley and Clifton areas of Nottingham.
Previous annual reports on the camps revealed that children met each evening in a meeting room of the hostel where “action songs and behavior rewards” were given.
Evidence of support for the camps is evident in the more than £12,000 given by grant-making groups and individuals last year. These included £2,150 from the Nottinghamshire-based Roseberry Trust, which supports disadvantaged children, and £2,000 from the JN Derbyshire Trust, which provides grants to charity projects.
Nearly £1,500 came from the Dame Agnes Mellers Charity, which, although run independently of Nottingham High School, has historic links to the independent school, with some staff serving as trustees.
“Nottingham High School did not authorize or supervise the charity’s donation to the Stathern Children’s Holiday Fund and had no role in the running of the camp,” a school spokesman said. “The donation was made before Jon Ruben’s crime became known.”
They added: “It goes without saying that we place children’s welfare at the heart of everything we do as a school and are deeply shocked by Jon Ruben’s disgusting actions.”
As well as Ruben, who is the charity’s honorary secretary, his family members are also on the board of trustees, and his wife Susan is also listed as chairman. When approached, a trustee declined to comment. Police said Ruben acted alone.
The lodge is run by the Braithwaite Gospel Trust, which is not affiliated with Ruben. Located at the end of a half-mile-long single-lane trail, this area features three-story brick buildings surrounded by open lawns. Summer camps are still held there.
At the edge of the parking lot is a cart with Bibles and a sign that says “we are in the last days, read Revelation.” Member Anna Blunt, who lives in the adjacent farmhouse, which is also owned by the trust, said the church community hoped to recover from the incident.
“My mother wanted to pray there so that the lodge could be cleaned,” he said. “We never want something like this to happen again”
