Former Commonwealth Games gold medallist and UK Athletics coach Leon Baptiste is currently serving a 10-month prison sentence in Morocco after being convicted of sexually assaulting a minor, according to reports by the BBC .
The 41-year-old, who won the 200m gold medal for England at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, was arrested in Marrakech in May. He is now serving his sentence at Al-Oudaya prison in the city after being found guilty by Moroccan authorities .
A source at the Moroccan Ministry of Justice confirmed Baptiste’s conviction and imprisonment, stating that he is in “good health” . The Morocco Public Prosecution Office also confirmed the sentence and nature of the conviction .
Reports of Baptiste’s “disappearance” had emerged after he stopped communicating with the athletes he was coaching more than three months ago. He had been working as a consultant sprint coach for UK Athletics, preparing a group of elite British track athletes for this summer’s Commonwealth Games and European Championships .
In May, Baptiste sent a brief message to the sprinters he was training, informing them he would be absent “for a while” without providing further details. The athletes were left without their designated coach at a crucial stage of the season, with their training heavily disrupted and leaving them “ill-prepared and frustrated,” BBC Sport reported .
On Tuesday, an email was sent to the athletes on Baptiste’s behalf resigning from his position, citing unspecified health issues. The email made no mention of his conviction or imprisonment .
Baptiste’s abrupt departure left some British sprinters, including Olympic bronze medallist Charlie Dobson and Paralympic silver medallist Zac Shaw, without a coach. Four-time European gold medallist Adam Gemili and relay coach Martyn Rooney stepped in to provide extra assistance .
According to BBC Sport, Baptiste travelled to Marrakech with three other British former athletes, who have all since returned to the UK. Baptiste’s family are understood to be aware of his imprisonment .
A UK Foreign Office spokesperson confirmed: “We are supporting a British national who is detained in Morocco and are in contact with the authorities” .
