Jon Ruben, 76, admitted drugging children with laced sweets as well as his wife to ensure she wouldn’t wake up during his crimes

All was not as it seemed at a wholesome summer camp which was supposed to be an opportunity for underprivileged children to have some summer fun. Instead, boys were fed laced sweets and poisoned so that the man running the camp could sexually abuse them.

Jon Ruben, 76, from Ruddington, Nottinghamshire, was believed by those around him to be a stand up member of the community, and had been running a holiday camp for kids for 27 years.

But Leicester Crown Court heard how he had been playing a sick game with the children in his care “for many years”. Whilst they were getting ready for bed, he challenged them to eat the sweets which had been laced with tranquilising drugs as “as quickly as they can”.

He used his “cloak of Christianity” to poison the boys in order to sexually abuse them. Prosecutors said the sick retired vet had “honed” his poisoning skill “over many years” and that his horrifying abuse was “premeditated and planned”, reports the Mirror.

Today, Ruben was sentenced for his crimes. In his sentencing remarks, the Judge said Ruben had posed a “life-threatening risk” to the young boys when he poisoned them with sedatives to “gain sexual arousal, initially from their naked bodies, and also in order to sexually assault at least some of those boys”.

Ruben was sentenced to 23 years and 10 months for his crimes at the summer camps. Some families of the child victims gave heartbreaking impact statements about the devastation caused by the pensioner’s reign of terror – others were so “distraught” at the sickening detail in the sentencing hearing they had to leave the room.

Ruben’s crimes were exposed last year when emergency services were called to Stathern Lodge, a youth centre near Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. He had been running a summer camp there when eight children – aged between eight and 11 years old – and one adult had become unwell.

They had reported feeling “drowsy and sick” and all of them were taken to hospital. One boy was found “slumped over the dining room table” at the lodge, the court heard.

Advertisement

The youngster explaining he had won the “sweet game” but was so disoriented he had to hold on to the wall to stay upright. He later tested positive for liquid Xanax.

One mother told the court in a victim impact statement that “The scene at the hall was like chaos – it was like a Die Hard movie. This was all caused by the selfish actions of one man.”

She added that her son now struggles to be left alone at night, because he is too afraid.

Another parent described the “nightmare” experience. They said: “The kids were kept from us initially, but we could hear them screaming to us that Jon had been arrested, and we also learned he drugged the children with sweets. We didn’t know what to think – the whole experience was so frightening. The following weeks and months were a nightmare.”

The court heard that the day after being poisoned the boys were “tired and floppy and seeming to be drunk” and that searches found a “chocolate poisoning chart” that the prosecutor said Ruben used to determine how much sedation to give the boys.

June Grant, 83, a former bookings secretary at the hall, previously said: “There were so many sirens. You could hear the ambulances and police cars whizzing around the village. It was scary but such good news that the children are OK.”

Ruben was arrested at a nearby pub where he was found by police accompanied by some of the kids. Toxicology reports found liquid Xanax present in samples from children at the camp, as well as within sweets which had been provided to the children. Incisions marks were also seen on the sweets themselves.

Ruben’s stepson was the one who initially became suspicious of the pensioner. He told his partner about his concerns before taking matters into his own hands and searching Ruben’s belongings.

That was where he found Vaseline, syringes and baby oil and quickly called the police.

After his crimes were uncovered, indecent material was found on his devices. 50 Category A – the most serious kind – indecent videos of children were discovered, alongside 22 Category B videos, and seven Category C videos.

At Leicester Crown Court, the pensioner pleaded guilty to 18 charges. They included one count of sexual assault of a child under 13 and another of assault of a child under 13 by penetration.

Advertisement

The paedophile also pleaded guilty to drugging his own wife, Susan. He admitted to the police that he administered the drugs to her so she would stay asleep whilst he sexually assaulted children at the summer camp.

Prosecutor Mary Prior KC said at the sentencing hearing: “In order to allow for his wife Susan, who was a light sleeper, to ensure she didn’t notice his absence in the night. He put sedatives in her tea.

“She reported feeling groggy with a bitter, metallic taste when she woke up. The purpose of the sedation was to ensure all of the boys were heavily asleep so the defendant could undress them, and choose who to sexually abuse.”

Susan spoke at the sentencing hearing, telling the court that her “life has been turned upside down,” and that, “I have now found out I have no idea who Jon Ruben is.”

She also told the court that the sick pensioner had told police issues with their sex life had contributed to his evil offences and that he believes himself to be “untouchable”. Susan lamented that the summer camp which was supposed to bring “moments of happiness” to underprivileged youngsters had been used by Jon to perpetuate the “most awful crimes”.

Susan said: “He painted himself as a Christian man and a pillar of the community. He is in fact a sadistic, monstrous paedophile.”

Ruben pulled the wool over people’s eyes for many years and, in 2015, was nominated for a community award for his work with young people. However, the court heard that a journal was found that indicated he had sick fantasies for a long time.

At the sentencing hearing, the court heard that he had targeted “vulnerable” boys “due to their underprivileged background”. The prosecutor also told the court: “The deprivation from many for these families was more than financial. Many were struggling to keep down jobs and relied on the church for afterschool clubs.”

The woman who nominated him for the Supporting Young People gong was quoted in a local newspaper singing his praises, and saying Ruben went above and beyond to give children a “great start in life” and that kids loved him – comments that now take on a whole new meaning.

“I used to volunteer with Jon and he works so hard for the benefit of so many young people. He wants young people to have a great start in life and he is such a lovely man too. He makes a genuine difference,” the woman was quoted as saying.

“Children find him funny and have a fun time with him, but they respect him too. He works tirelessly.”

Ruben’s responded to the nomination by saying: “I am shocked and pleased at the same time – I genuinely did not see this coming. We just like to give children good things to do.”

One boy, the court heard in a victim impact statement given by his father, was so shocked by Ruben’s abuse he asked if the youth worker had been “set up” and that the child had been inspired to be a youth worker himself by Ruben. “My boy is very confused about what has happened and struggling to process that Jon Ruben isn’t the person he thought he was,” the father said, “He was promised he would be a youth leader, and he was so excited he had been acknowledged by [Ruben]. Our family changed forever from that moment on.”

The father said after the pensioner’s arrest his son asked “What if somebody set him up and put the sweets in his bag? How could he do things like that – he is a man of God?”

The court heard a parent say in an impact statement that their son had begun self-harming and had become a shell of himself since the assault. “[My son] shut down and started self-harming, pulling and twisting his hair out,” a mother told the hearing. “[He] was previously a confident, independent boy who now needs constant distraction and reassurance, and has got to the point where he doesn’t leave our sides.

“When (my son) is at home, but in a room on his own, he barricades himself in to feel safe when we are out. He has lost his innocence. He doesn’t trust anyone and this affects every part of his daily life.”

Ruben apologised repeatedly after the victim impact statements were read out, holding his head in his hands as they spoke and sobbing.

Thomas Schofield KC acting for Ruben told the court the pensioner is the “epitome of remorse” rejecting that he had used his Christianity as a cover. Schofield also told the hearing that Ruben had been abused as a child and that “He embraces the need for punishment. He described himself to me as a monster and evil.” The barrister also told the court that Ruben has a personality disorder, autistic spectrum disorder, or ADHD or a “combination of all of them”.

In his sentencing remarks Judge Timothy Spencer KC said that Ruben had used Christianity to “get close to boys” and “exploited” his status as youth worker and community figure, adding he “grossly betrayed the trust that came with it.”

The Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham, Paul Williams, said previously about the case: ” I am profoundly shocked by the terrible abuse of children admitted by Jon Ruben. First and foremost, our thoughts are with the children and families affected by these appalling crimes. The abuse of trust and harm to the vulnerable is horrific in any setting, but it is especially shocking when it happens in a context that should have been safe and nurturing.

“Jon Ruben was a member of the PCC at St Peter’s Ruddington and also a volunteer working with young people in the church. Safeguarding of children and young people are our highest priority across all our churches.”

Lockyer said: “I was just one of the more than 30,000 people who suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest every year in the UK. I am lucky to be alive today, but the reality is that less than 1 in 10 people usually survive, which is why it’s vital that we continue to raise awareness.

As soon as you drive over the top of the Peak District and down into Sheffield you can see the light pollution – and it’s horrible, said a participant in a research project into darkness and light pollution.

In the last 100 years, the places where people can experience darkness have reduced dramatically. Now only 10% of the people living in the western hemisphere experience places with dark skies, where there is no artificial light. And the starry skies they can see are limited by artificial light. The number of stars that people can see from most of the western hemisphere is getting fewer and fewer.

Researchers trying to find out about public attitudes to darkness attended events over three days in the North York Moors National Park. Here, in one of the UK’s seven dark sky reserves (where light pollution is limited), the researchers explored how immersive and fun experiences, such as guided night walks and stargazing and silent discos, reshaped public perceptions of natural darkness and sparked ideas of what they might change in their lives.

Working with a professional film-maker, the research team recorded how people responded to taking part in events in darkness. Participants in the research included five tourism businesses, two representatives from the park and 94 visitors.

Darkness disappears

Light pollution is increasing globally by approximately 10% per year (estimated by measuring how many stars can be seen in the sky at night), diminishing night skies and disrupting ecosystems.

But increasing awareness of light pollution has led to an increase in national parks hosting events to explore this issue, according to my recent study.

The study’s findings indicated that participants in the North York Moors Dark Sky Festival events not only started to feel more comfortable in natural darkness but also talked about changing their own lifestyle, including using low-impact lighting in their homes, asking neighbours to switch off lights in their gardens at night, and monitoring neighbourhood light levels.

The research team used filming and walking with visitors to capture not just what people said, but what they did in darkness. During guided walks, participants experimented with moving without head‑torches, cultivating night vision, and tuning into sound, smell and learning how to find their way around without artificial light.

Walking in silence helped visitors build a deeper connection with the nocturnal environment. One visitor said that being in the dark just for that moment of peace, and just to listen and tune in to the environment was a privilege and something to conserve.

One said: “I remember as a child I’d see similar stuff from a city [and that] sort of thing, and now we’re doing whatever we can do to save things like this.”

Visitors reported leaving with new skills, greater awareness and commitment, such as putting their lights at home on timers, and working on bat protection projects. These actions demonstrate that this kind of experience in nocturnal environments can change behaviour far beyond festivals.

Dark Sky activists, such as those in the North York Moors National Park, have learned that the public connect with the issues around light pollution and become more engaged if the activities are fun.

Shared experiences help people understand complex messages about climate, biodiversity, and responsible lighting, and help people feel more confident about walking in the dark. Several participants commented that walking without light was good and wasn’t as bad as they thought. Another said: “I find walking at night with a full moon is really quite a magical experience.”

By the end of the walk, some visitors (when on relatively easy ground) were happy to switch head torches off and enjoy feeling immersed within the nocturnal landscape.

Dark‑sky festivals show how joy and fun can build public awareness and an understanding of why darkness matters.

However, limited public transport to rural night events as well as safety concerns about walking in darkness, and the cost of festivals all restrict participation.

Why light is a problem

Research shows that artificial light at night disrupts circadian rhythms, impairs some species ability to find their way around and is a cause of declining populations of insects, bats and other nocturnal fauna.

There is also evidence that outdoor lighting generates needless emissions and ecological harm that is intensifying at an alarming rate.

To rethink this shift, the study argues that darkness could be considered a shared environmental “good”, requiring collective care to prevent overuse, damage and pollution.

Small changes in lighting shielding (which controls the spread of light), warmer coloured lights, and half lighting (switching street lighting off at midnight) can be significant and less damaging to animal life.

The national park’s next major step has been to establish a Northern England Dark-Sky Alliance to halt the growth of light pollution outside the park boundaries, particularly along the A1 road in northern England, which would help restore natural darkness for nocturnal migratory species, such as birds like Nightjars.

If we can make living with more darkness in our streets, and in our leisure time, feel more normal and more comfortable, then nighttime becomes not something that needs to be fixed, but a shared commons to be restored.

Jenny Hall is a speaker at an upcoming discussion on Cities Under Stars: Tackling Light Pollution in Cities, in conjunction with The Conversation, as part of this year’s Dark Skies Festival. Find out more, and come along.

Robin van Persie has refused to confirm whether Feyenoord are in the race to sign his former Manchester United teammate Jesse Lingard.

Lingard has spent the last two years at FC Seoul, joining the South Korean club in February 2024 after being released by Nottingham Forest.

Now 33, the former England international hopes to make a final decision on his next move this week with clubs from England, Italy and Netherlands interested in his services.

Feyenoord are among them with the Dutch giants coached by his former United teammate van Persie.

Van Persie had three seasons at Old Trafford with Lingard out on loan for the vast majority of that time although they were briefly in the same squad together at the start of the 2014-15 season under Louis van Gaal.

The former Arsenal star was quizzed on the possible arrival of Lingard when he spoke to the media on Friday but the 42-year-old insisted Feyenoord director Dennis te Kloese will ultimately decide if he joins the club.

‘No, because I don’t think it’s my role to say anything about it,’ van Persie said. ‘That’s up to Dennis and the technical team. I play a role in that, but more behind the scenes.’

Van Persie has come under pressure at Feyenoord, who trail Eredivisie leaders PSV Eindhoven by 17 points after a 3-0 defeat to their rivals last week.

The club also failed to qualify for the knockout stages of the Europa League after defeat to Real Betis last week.

Another Dutch great in Ruud Gullit however has urged Feyenoord to keep faith in the former striker, insisting he is also good enough to one day perhaps return to United as manager.

‘It would be great if Robin van Persie became the manager of Manchester United in the future. I definitely hope that happens at some point! Robin is a great manager, but he’s struggling a little bit at Feyenoord at the moment,’ Gullit said.

‘I feel like the expectations for him are very high because of the career he had, so he’s under the spotlight a lot more than other managers in the Eredivisie.

‘He’s under fire over here in Holland at the moment, but I hope he’s given time to rectify it and prove how good he is. Look what happened with Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United – they kept him, and look how good he ended up being.

‘Down the line however, I think it would be great for Robin to manage at Old Trafford one day.’

MORE: Manchester United held talks to sign ex-Leicester City star on loan in January

MORE: Tim Sherwood tips Man Utd to hijack Liverpool transfer move for £100m star

MORE: Leon Goretzka responds to Arsenal offer after failed January transfer

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — “West Wing” and “Field of Dreams” actor Timothy Busfield has been indicted by a grand jury on four counts of criminal sexual contact with a child under age 13, a New Mexico prosecutor announced Friday.

The allegations are tied to Busfield’s work as a director on the set of the TV series “The Cleaning Lady” from 2022 to 2024.

Busfield has denied the allegations, initially filed in court by police, and a defense attorney on Friday said he would “fight these charges at every stage.”

Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman announced the indictment in a social media post.

Netflix’s hit legal drama The Lincoln Lawyer has dropped all episodes of its latest season for viewers to binge at home this weekend.

Based on Michael Connelly’s bestselling novels, the series follows defense attorney Mickey Haller (Manuel García-Rulfo) on the other side of the courtroom as the defendant in a murder case.

Adapted from Connelly’s novel The Law of Innocence, Mickey races to clear his name after being accused of killing a former client.

Last year, fans threatened to ‘revolt’ if the series was cancelled, which was originally a remake of the 2011 Matthew McConaughey film of the same name.

Drawing on his legal expertise and support network form over the years, a number of familiar faces from previous seasons return.

This includes Becki Newton as Lorna Crane, Jazz Raycole as Izzy Letts and Angus Sampson as Cisco.

In addition, Scream star Neve Campbell returns as Maggie McPherson, reprising her role as Mickey’s ex-wife and former prosecutor.

Taking to X following the release of all ten episodes of the show’s fourth season, viewers heaped praise on the Netflix series as @shvnique said: ‘The Lincoln Lawyer is one of the best shows Netflix has put out.’

@alentyler also declared that: ‘Lincoln Lawyer has to be one of the best legal series I’ve watched in recent times, it’s up there with Suits and Boston Legal.’

Despite the Super Bowl in America coming on Sunday, Salaman said: ‘Forget the Super Bowl, I’m locking into the Lincoln Lawyer season 4.’

Meanwhile, Santana said: ‘I need season 5 of the Lincoln Lawyer today. I binged the entire new season last night.’

Nina furiously added that ‘work is keeping me from watching The Lincoln Lawyer’, as @lizzymax411 said: ‘Glad The Lincoln Lawyer was renewed for seasons 5 cause can’t wait to see where this sister story line will take us.’

However, not all fans were as equally happy with the latest series, as Chris argued: ‘Lincoln lawyer s4 I’m sorry but this is possibly the weakest case the prosecution has come up with throughout all the seasons.’

There is good news, though, for those of who have already binged every episode of the latest season, after Netflix confirmed that the series has already been renewed for a fifth season.

Production is expected to begin shortly after the premiere of the latest season.

This comes after Netflix sparked backlash using AI to disguise case studies in a new Lucy Letby documentary.

The 90-minute feature examines the Lucy Letby case and shows unseen footage from Chester police of her arrest.

Letby was arrested in 2020, with the former neonatal nurse charged with seven counts of murder and 15 counts of attempted murder in relation to 17 babies between June 2015 and June 2016.

The Lincoln Lawyer season 4 is available to watch on Netflix.

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

MORE: Netflix Lucy Letby documentary sparks backlash for using AI to disguise case studies

MORE: The 10 most-watched Netflix shows right now as new hit gets 39,700,000 views

MORE: Bridgerton fans spot glaring season 4 editing error that you won’t be able to unsee

Winter comfort food isn’t always the healthiest, but this recipe for panzanella – a Tuscan chopped salad traditionally made with tomatoes and chunks of stale bread – makes a gorgeous, healthy dinner packed with vegetables. It’s quick to cook and so easy to prep.

Both programmes are filmed in one of the most isolated parts of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, where Amanda Owen, known as the Yorkshire Shepherdess, has raised her family and worked the land for decades.

Where is Our Yorkshire Farm filmed?

Our Yorkshire Farm is filmed at Ravenseat Farm, located in Upper Swaledale, North Yorkshire, at the head of Whitsun Dale.

Amanda, Clive and Kids altogether outside Anty John’s. (Image: CHANNEL4)

The hill farm covers around 2,000 acres of upland terrain and has been in the Owen family for generations. It operates primarily as a sheep farm and sits several miles from the nearest village.

The closest settlement is Keld, approximately three and a half miles away, a small hamlet with no shop and only a handful of buildings catering mainly to walkers.

Ravenseat previously welcomed visitors for cream teas and overnight stays, but public access was closed in 2022, and it now operates solely as a private family farm.

Where is Our Farm Next Door filmed?

The More4 series Our Farm Next Door is filmed nearby at Anty John’s, a historic farmhouse located close to Ravenseat in Swaledale.

The programme follows Amanda and Clive Owen as they renovate the long-derelict building, while continuing to run Ravenseat and care for their livestock with help from their nine children.

Amanda with crook and sheep at Ravenseat. (Image: CHANNEL4)

Series three of Our Farm Next Door: Amanda, Clive and Kids was filmed between spring and winter 2025 and documents the renovation entering its second year, with work shifting from making the building weatherproof to interior restoration.

How remote is the Owen family farm?

Ravenseat is widely regarded as one of the most remote farms featured on British television.

The surrounding villages are sparsely populated, with limited amenities and long distances between services.

The area is best known for walking routes, including the Coast-to-Coast Walk, which passes through nearby Keld.

Further east lies Muker, one of Swaledale’s larger villages, known for its traditional stone buildings and village pub.

Anyone visiting the area is advised to plan carefully, as shops, petrol stations and mobile signal can be limited in the upper Dales.

Why the location matters

The remote setting is central to both programmes, shaping daily life for the Owen family and presenting challenges ranging from extreme weather to long journeys for basic supplies.

Despite changes in family circumstances, Our Farm Next Door continues the themes that made Our Yorkshire Farm popular: rural resilience, family life and the realities of farming in one of England’s toughest landscapes.

Our Farm Next Door: Amanda, Clive and Kids is currently on More4, with a fourth series already confirmed.