An individual who laced sweets with tranquilliser and provided them to children at a summer program in the area has admitted sexual offences against two boys who were between nine and ten.
Jon Ruben was detained after eight children and a grown-up fell ill at the location in the summer month.
The elderly man, from the Nottinghamshire area, confessed to a total of 17 charges when he stood at the courthouse on recently.
However, he denied a single sexual charge he was charged with, which was against a nine-year-old boy.
The accused was held in detention ahead of a further hearing on 28 November.
'Candy game'
Mary Prior KC, handling the case, outlined the defendant's actions to the judicial body.
She stated his targets were children from difficult backgrounds who were staying at a summer program which he ran.
Ruben engaged in a "treat game" with the minors, Mrs Prior said, in which he would go into the children's bedrooms when they were settling down and tell them to eat sweets "as quickly as they can".
She informed the proceedings the defendant had played this game with the children "repeatedly", and children had previously become sick the next day.
She stated the man had been capable of justifying this repeatedly as the minors being "overwrought by enjoyment", until his family member had suspicions in recently.
The prosecutor added: "Recently" his stepchild had worries about the activities, justifiably.
"They chose" to investigate in the individual's items."
The prosecutor said objects including infant oil, petroleum jelly and syringes were discovered, and his family member notified the law enforcement about his suspicions.
She said Ruben went on to engage in the "sweet game" with six children that time - Saturday 26 July - and they were all sick the subsequent day.
"The police had not arrived by that point," she added.
The regulatory agency, the investigative body, had stated that it was examining Leicestershire Police's handling of the events.
The legal representative said the minors were unable to walk properly due to their sickness, so the family member contacted the law enforcement again.
She explained the man then played the "treat game" in a room of five minors.
