Moroccan Authorities Confirm Athletics Coach Leon Baptiste Is Imprisoned

English athletics coach and former Commonwealth Games champion Leon Baptiste is serving a prison sentence in Morocco after being convicted of sexually assaulting a minor, according to BBC Sport. Moroccan officials confirmed that Baptiste is being held at Al-Oudaya prison in Marrakech and said reports describing him as missing did not reflect his actual circumstances.

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A source at Morocco’s Ministry of Justice told BBC Sport that Baptiste was arrested in Marrakech in May. He initially received a 10-month sentence, which was reduced to eight months on appeal. A spokesperson for Morocco’s Public Prosecution Office separately confirmed the sentence and the nature of the conviction. Moroccan law defines a minor as a person under 18.

Baptiste, 41, had been out of contact with the British track athletes he coached for more than three months. In May, he sent the group a brief message saying he would be absent from training for a while, the BBC reported. Media reports later described him as missing in Morocco, but Moroccan authorities said he had not disappeared and was in custody following a court judgment.

On Tuesday, an email sent to the athletes on Baptiste’s behalf announced his resignation from his coaching position and cited unspecified ill health. A Moroccan Ministry of Justice source told the BBC that Baptiste was in good health. The UK Foreign Office said it was supporting a British national detained in Morocco and remained in contact with the authorities.

Before his absence, Baptiste had worked as a consultant sprint coach for UK Athletics and coached several leading British athletes preparing for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the European Championships in Birmingham. BBC Sport reported that Olympic bronze medallist Charlie Dobson and Paralympic silver medallist Zac Shaw were among those left without their designated coach. Adam Gemili and relay coach Martyn Rooney subsequently provided additional help.

Baptiste won Commonwealth Games gold medals in the 200 metres and 4x100 metres relay in 2010 before retiring from competition at 28 because of knee problems. BBC Sport said it confirmed details of his conviction through Moroccan authorities and online court records after investigating the reports about his whereabouts. The broadcaster also said it had approached UK Athletics for comment.