Two police officers and five staff are being investigated for serious misconduct over their response to safety concerns at a summer camp where children were given sweets laced with tranquilizers and some were sexually abused.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said Nottinghamshire Police received concerns about the safety of children at Stathern Lodge just before 19:00 BST on 27 July 2025 and the concerns were passed on to Leicestershire Police.
The next day, 21 hours later, the IOPC said Leicestershire police attended court and arrested Jon Ruben, who was jailed for more than 23 years on Friday.
The IOPC has informed officers and staff from both forces that they are under investigation.
The IOPC said two Leicestershire police officers and three members of staff are being investigated for serious misconduct “over alleged failures to review information passed through Nottinghamshire Police, to address security concerns in a timely manner and whether this may have resulted in delays in police attending Stathern Lodge”.
Meanwhile, two Nottinghamshire Constabulary staff were also issued serious misconduct notices “regarding the grading of the initial call to police, how information from the call was assessed and managed, and whether this resulted in a delay in the police response”.
Following a referral from Leicestershire Police on July 29, the IOPC investigation focused on the events that took place between the initial call to police and the arrival of officers at the scene.
Emily Barry, director of the IOPC, said: “We know this incident has caused shock and distress, particularly for the children and families directly affected.
“The scope of our initial investigation has expanded significantly and we are now looking at how Nottinghamshire Police and Leicestershire Police responded to very serious concerns raised about children who stayed at Stathorn Hotel last summer.”
Leicester Crown Court heard that camp director Reuben, a former vet, teacher and churchwarden, used his “Christian cloak” to attack vulnerable children.
The court heard the 76-year-old, from Luddington, Nottinghamshire, had helped run the summer camp for “at least 27 years”.
He poisoned boys at the camp with liquid Xanax so he could sexually abuse them over the weekend of July 26-28 last year, buying the liquid Xanax from the dark web thinking it was the sedative temazepam.
In outlining the case, prosecutors said Reuben’s candy “poisoning skills” were “honed over many years.”
Reuben would play “sweet games” with the boys, going into their rooms as they were getting ready for bed and asking them to eat drug-laced sweets “as quickly as possible” – with the winner’s prize being a chocolate bar the next morning.
Judge Timothy Spencer KC said it was “enormous irony” that Reuben was also the camp’s maintenance leader.
The court heard some of the boys fell ill after playing the game and were seen “hitting walls and walking in the wrong direction” the next morning.
Reuben’s stepson James was concerned about what he saw and reported his concerns to police multiple times.
Reuben was arrested in a nearby pub while the group was having lunch and the 38 children were taken to the local village hall for medical triage.
In November, Ruben pleaded guilty to 17 offences, including sexual assault of a child under 13, penetrative assault of a child under 13 and eight counts of child abuse.
Reuben also admitted an 18th offense of drugging his wife Susan to ensure she would not wake up while his abuse was taking place.
In court, Susan called her husband of 24 years a “sadistic, horrific pedophile” and added that she had begun divorce proceedings.
Emotional testimony was also given from distraught and angry parents of the victims, some of whom cursed Reuben as he was sentenced.
Several of Reuben’s belongings at the camp were found inside a red suitcase and confiscated. [CPS]
Susan said she has been attending the summer camp for 34 years, which aims to provide “moments of happiness” for children from low-income families who usually don’t have the opportunity to go to the countryside for a holiday.
“One moment he was gathering the children around a campfire and the next he was committing the most horrific crime against the children and myself,” she said.
The mother of one of Ruben’s victims cursed him multiple times as he sat in the dock.
“The name Jon makes me physically sick — and I’ve never felt so much hatred as I do for you,” she said.
“You caused the most sleepless nights – but I bet you had a great night’s sleep.
“You make me feel like I’m grieving for someone who’s still alive. I can’t watch my son sleep without seeing your face.”
Leicestershire Police said the wider investigation into Ruben was “ongoing”, adding that they were working with Nottinghamshire Police to contact schools and organizations he was known to have links to.
Police have opened a public portal for people to contact, including potential witnesses, victims or Reuben.
Reuben told children to eat drug-laced sweets as soon as possible as part of his ‘sweet game’, Leicester Crown Court [CPS]
Assistant Chief Constable James Avery, of Leicestershire Police, said the force’s focus “remains on the victims and their families involved in the investigation”.
He added: “The independent IOPC investigation is ongoing and we will continue to work with the IOPC as part of that investigation.”
A spokesman for Nottinghamshire Police added: “The investigation is being led by the IOPC and therefore we are unable to comment at this stage.”
The IOPC said its investigation followed a referral from Leicestershire Police on July 29 and the watchdog decided to launch an investigation.
It added that based on information provided by Nottinghamshire Police at the time, the IOPC did not consider a referral to the department necessary.
However, following an internal review by Nottinghamshire Police and the IOPC, a police referral was recommended.
The referral was made in November and an investigation into Nottinghamshire Police began the following month.
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