Former vet in court after children hospitalised at summer camp

A former vet has been remanded in custody on charges of wilfully ill-treating children at a summer camp in Leicestershire.

Jonathan Ruben, 76, of Ruddington, Nottinghamshire, is due to appear at Leicester Crown Court later this month, following an initial hearing before magistrates in the city on Saturday, 2 August.

Ruben, who unsuccessfully stood for election to the RCVS Council in 2012, currently faces allegations relating to three children who attended the camp at Stathern, near Melton Mowbray, last month.

Further charges

Eight children and an adult were taken to hospital from the event and magistrates were told that prosecutors do anticipate further charges being brought, the Daily Telegraph reported. The case is said to relate to sweets allegedly laced with sedatives.

Ruben, who did not indicate a plea to the charges against him, is next due to appear in court on 29 August.

Meanwhile, police inquiries are continuing, and officers have stressed the owners and operators of the camp’s venue are not connected to the inquiry.

But the Leicestershire force’s handling of the case is also being investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.