A British court has charged a 76-year-old man and placed him in custody on suspicion of poisoning children with sweets laced with sedatives at a holiday camp in central England.
John Rubin, who resides near Nottingham, briefly appeared before Leicester Magistrates’ Court on Saturday, where he was named and held in custody pending a court hearing on August 29.
The Crown Prosecution Service announced the day prior that he faced charges of cruelty towards three young boys, who were preparing for the holiday camp held in Syston, Leicestershire, from July 25 to 29.
During the hearing, it was stated that the accused used sweets containing sedatives for this purpose, which were intended to poison the children, according to the Press Association.
Local police reported receiving a call on Sunday about several children staying at “Syston Lodge,” a renovated farmhouse, who were feeling unwell.
Eight children aged 8 to 11 and one adult were taken to the hospital as a precaution but were later discharged.
John Rubin was arrested on Monday evening at a nearby pub.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct has launched an investigation into how local police handled the incident. In a statement released on Thursday, it noted that the inquiry would determine whether any shortcomings contributed to delays in the response from Leicestershire police.
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