Leon Baptiste: ‘Missing’ athletics coach serving prison sentence in Morocco for sexual assault
BBC Homepage | Skip to content | Accessibility Help | Your account
Home | News | Sport | Earth | Reel | Worklife | Travel | Culture | Future | Music | TV | Weather | Sounds
BBC Sport
- Home
- Football
- Cricket
- Formula 1
- Rugby U
- Tennis
- Golf
- Cycling
- Athletics
- More
- A-Z Sports (American Football, Athletics, Basketball, Boxing, Cricket, Cycling, Darts, Disability Sport, Football, Formula 1, Gaelic Games, Golf, Gymnastics, Horse Racing, Mixed Martial Arts, Motorsport, Netball, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Snooker, Swimming, Tennis | Full Sports A-Z)
- Quizzes
- News Feeds
An English athletics coach and former gold medallist, Leon Baptiste, who was reportedly missing, has been revealed to be serving a 10-month prison sentence in Morocco for sexually assaulting a minor.
Baptiste, who was coaching top British track athletes ahead of the Commonwealth Games and European Championships this summer, went missing more than three months ago, leaving his athletes and UK Athletics without explanation.
In May, Baptiste sent his athletes a brief message stating he would be absent from training "for a while". No further details were provided. Over the weekend, media reports claimed he was "missing" in Morocco.
On Tuesday, Baptiste sent an email to his former athletes resigning from his position as their coach, citing unspecified ill health.
A source at the Moroccan Ministry of Justice confirmed to BBC Sport that Baptiste was arrested in Marrakech in May, convicted, and is now incarcerated in Al-Oudaya prison. They added that he is "in good health".
The source stated:
"In relation to the reports concerning the alleged ‘disappearance of Leon Baptiste’… please note that the information published in this regard is inaccurate and does not reflect the facts of the case."
"…He is currently being held at the local prison in Marrakech, where he is serving a custodial sentence following his conviction by the competent judicial authorities in connection with a misdemeanour case."
In Morocco, a minor is considered anyone under 18 years old.
When directly asked about Baptiste, a UK Foreign Office spokesperson said: "We are supporting a British national who is detained in Morocco and are in contact with the authorities."
Sources told BBC Sport that Baptiste travelled to Marrakech with three other British former athletes, all of whom have since returned to the UK. His family is believed to be aware of his imprisonment.
