Christian Camp Leader Sentenced to 23 Years and 10 Months for Drugging and Sexually Abusing Boys
A retired vet and church youth volunteer has been jailed for 23 years and 10 months after being found guilty of drugging and sexually abusing young boys. Jon Ruben, 76, lured the children to a summer camp where he would administer tranquilizing sweets before carrying out his abuse.
Ruben used his position as a respected member of his community to gain access to vulnerable children. He targeted boys at Stathern Lodge summer camp, where he ran under his own leadership, and administered sedatives through "sweet games" designed to make the children fall asleep. This allowed him to undress them and choose who to abuse.
The court heard that Ruben used the dark web to buy what he thought was a sedative but ultimately gave one of the victims Xanax instead, while also taking Viagra to enhance his own abilities. His wife, Susan, described her husband as "sadistic" and said she had been "completely betrayed" by him.
Ruben's actions were carried out under the guise of Christianity, using his position in the church council at St Peter's in Ruddington to gain trust with vulnerable children. The bishop of Southwell and Nottingham has condemned Ruben's actions as "horrific" and stated that they are especially shocking given the supposed safe environment of a church setting.
The victims' families have expressed outrage and disgust at Ruben's behavior, saying he had posed as a trustworthy figure who had betrayed their trust. They have called for justice to be served and are seeking support from organizations and agencies to help them cope with the trauma inflicted upon them by Ruben.
Ruben will also face an additional period of license, bringing his total sentence to 31 years and eight months. The investigation is ongoing, and Leicestershire police are continuing to look into Ruben's involvement with children across more than two decades.
A retired vet and church youth volunteer has been jailed for 23 years and 10 months after being found guilty of drugging and sexually abusing young boys. Jon Ruben, 76, lured the children to a summer camp where he would administer tranquilizing sweets before carrying out his abuse.
Ruben used his position as a respected member of his community to gain access to vulnerable children. He targeted boys at Stathern Lodge summer camp, where he ran under his own leadership, and administered sedatives through "sweet games" designed to make the children fall asleep. This allowed him to undress them and choose who to abuse.
The court heard that Ruben used the dark web to buy what he thought was a sedative but ultimately gave one of the victims Xanax instead, while also taking Viagra to enhance his own abilities. His wife, Susan, described her husband as "sadistic" and said she had been "completely betrayed" by him.
Ruben's actions were carried out under the guise of Christianity, using his position in the church council at St Peter's in Ruddington to gain trust with vulnerable children. The bishop of Southwell and Nottingham has condemned Ruben's actions as "horrific" and stated that they are especially shocking given the supposed safe environment of a church setting.
The victims' families have expressed outrage and disgust at Ruben's behavior, saying he had posed as a trustworthy figure who had betrayed their trust. They have called for justice to be served and are seeking support from organizations and agencies to help them cope with the trauma inflicted upon them by Ruben.
Ruben will also face an additional period of license, bringing his total sentence to 31 years and eight months. The investigation is ongoing, and Leicestershire police are continuing to look into Ruben's involvement with children across more than two decades.
This is just disgusting 
... how could someone in a position of trust do this to innocent kids? 
He preys on their trust, uses his "christian" role to get close to them and then drags them down into hell... 
23 years is still too long for him to be free, my heart goes out to the victims and their families 
, they deserve justice and support 
. This should be a wake-up call for all of us to always look out for each other's kids and report any suspicious behavior 
.
this is just heartbreaking I feel so sorry for those poor boys who were taken advantage of by someone who was supposed to be a trusted figure in their lives... 23 years is way too long for one person to have to deal with the trauma they went through, and it's even more devastating that it happened at a place where people should've felt safe 
I mean I know some ppl might say that church leaders r supposed 2 b all about love n care but this dude Jon Ruben is literally the WORST 
he's like the ultimate predator n he managed 2 get away w/ it 4 so long bc of his position n his stupid church friends . But now justice is finally being served & those kids will finally b able 2 heal n move on from this trauma 
. I just wish we cud do more 2 prevent this kind of thing from happening in the future 
like better background checks n stuff n maybe some ppl wld think twice before trusting someone w/ a church position bc of their behavior 
, but can't we also consider the fact that he was basically using his church position to get close to these kids? It's just so messed up... And then again, I'm all about victims' rights too, and if anyone gets to suffer for a long time because of what they did... like, it's not even 
. The families need support, like actual help, not just sympathy from organizations...
... just kidding! 23 years and 10 months isn't too bad for what he did though. I guess you could say he's getting a little "tranquilized" by his own actions 
. But seriously, it's disgusting that someone in a position of trust like that would use it to abuse kids. He should've stuck to leading the church bingo night, not summer camp 
. The bishop is right, though, this is horrific and especially messed up since he was supposed to be protecting those kids, not hurting them. Anyway, I hope the victims get the justice they deserve and some much-needed support to deal with what happened. And let's all just make sure to keep an eye on our summer camps, we don't want any more "sweet games" going on 
!
and to think he was using his church position to gain trust... that's just disgusting 
. the victims' families are totally justified in seeking justice and support - they need help dealing with this trauma 
. The thought of these boys being lured into a supposed safe space with the intention of abuse is just devastating 
. The fact that he used his position to gain trust and manipulate children is just horrific 
. The bishop's condemnation is spot on too, it's unacceptable for someone in a position of power to take advantage of that power 
Can't believe some people still think that being a "respected member of the community" or holding a position in church means you're above accountability. I mean, what's next? Being a camp leader doesn't make you a superhero who can do no wrong? 
. Newsflash, dude: you can't pay to be innocent! 
