Former Commonwealth Games 200m champion Leon Baptiste has been jailed in Morocco after being convicted in a case involving the sexual assault of a minor, ending weeks of uncertainty over the whereabouts of the former British sprinter.
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Baptiste, 41, was reported missing after travelling to Morocco, where he had been working as a consultant sprint coach for UK Athletics.
According to the BBC on Wednesday, a source at Morocco’s Ministry of Justice confirmed that Baptiste was taken into custody in Marrakech in May and subsequently convicted. He is currently serving a 10-month prison sentence at Al-Oudaya prison.
The source dismissed reports that Baptiste had disappeared, saying the British national “had not lost contact with his surroundings and was not subject to any disappearance or unexplained absence.”
The source also said Baptiste was “in good health”.
Morocco’s Public Prosecution Office separately confirmed his detention and imprisonment.
“The British national is currently being held at the local prison in Marrakech, where he is serving a custodial sentence following a court judgment against him in connection with his involvement in a criminal case,” the office said.
Moroccan authorities said the limited information released about the case was consistent with the country’s judicial procedures.
Baptiste stopped communicating with athletes
Baptiste had stopped communicating with the athletes he was coaching more than three months ago, leaving both the sprinters and UK Athletics unable to establish his whereabouts.
In May, he reportedly sent a brief message to the athletes informing them that he would be away from training sessions “for a while”, without providing further details.
The athletes subsequently continued preparations for major championships without their coach during an important period of the season.
Baptiste had been working as a consultant sprint coach for UK Athletics, guiding a group of elite British athletes.
He was also named England Athletics Coach of the Year at the 2023 Sporting Equals Awards.
Reports over the weekend had described Baptiste as missing in Morocco, but it has since emerged that he travelled to Marrakech with three other former British athletes, all of whom later returned to the UK.
UK confirms consular assistance
The UK Foreign Office confirmed that it was providing consular assistance to Baptiste.
“We are supporting a British national who is detained in Morocco and are in contact with the authorities,” a spokesperson said.
Baptiste’s family are understood to be aware of his imprisonment.
An email was also sent to the athletes he had been coaching on Tuesday, in which he resigned from his role. The message cited unspecified health issues as the reason for his departure but did not mention his conviction or imprisonment.
Baptiste won the 200m gold medal for England at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and competed primarily in the 100m and 200m events during his sprinting career.
He later moved into coaching and remained involved in British athletics, including through his consultancy role with UK Athletics.