A former vet, teacher and summer camp leader who laced sweets with tranquilliser and gave them to boys before sexually assaulting them has been jailed for more than 23 years.
Jon Ruben used the “cloak of Christianity” to carry out his attacks on vulnerable children, Leicester Crown Court heard on Friday.
The 76-year-old also drugged his wife Susan to ensure she would not wake up while the abuse took place. In court she labelled her husband of 24 years a “sadistic, monstrous paedophile”, adding she had begun divorce proceedings.
A number of upset and angry parents of the victims also gave emotional testimony, with some swearing at Ruben as he was sentenced.
In a joint statement issued after the hearing, parents of the victims said Ruben was a “devious child sexual predator”.
The statement read: “Jon Ruben portrayed himself as a good Christian man and someone who we could trust to be in charge of the care of our children.
“Our children themselves admired and respected Jon, but what we have found out is that Jon is a devious child sexual predator.”
The statement added: “As families we are suffering shock, anxiety, distress, self-doubt and guilt, but we know it is you, Jon Ruben, who is to blame for this – no-one else.”
During a witness statement read out to the court, Susan said: “In one moment he was gathering children around the campfire, and then the next he was perpetrating the most awful crimes against the children and myself.
In November, Ruben pleaded guilty to 17 offences including the sexual assault of a child under 13, assault of a child under 13 by penetration, and eight counts of child cruelty.
He later admitted administering a poison or noxious substance – temazepam – to Susan Ruben in July last year.
Devices belonging to Ruben were later analysed by officers and found to contain more than 50 Category A indecent videos of children, the most serious category.
There were also Category B and C videos. None of the images concerned relate to children who were at the summer camp.
Ruben was told he would serve a further period on licence, bringing his total sentence to 31 years and eight months.