'Missing' Baptiste serving prison sentence in Morocco

What the report says

BBC Sport reports that English athletics coach and former Commonwealth Games champion Leon Baptiste has been sentenced to 10 months in prison in Morocco after being convicted in a case involving sexual assault of a minor. The report says Moroccan justice officials confirmed he was arrested in Marrakech in May and is now serving his sentence in Al-Oudaya prison. It also says a prosecution office spokesperson confirmed the conviction and that the case involved a criminal offence.

Baptiste, 41, had been described in some media coverage as missing after he stopped responding to people in British athletics more than three months ago. According to BBC Sport, he told athletes in May that he would be away from training for a while, and later resigned by email, citing ill health. The UK Foreign Office said it is supporting a British national detained in Morocco and is in contact with local authorities.

The report places the case in the context of Baptiste’s role as a consultant sprint coach working with several British athletes ahead of a busy championship period. His sudden absence reportedly disrupted training for athletes including Charlie Dobson and Zac Shaw, with others stepping in to help. BBC Sport says it began checking his whereabouts after the missing-person reports and later confirmed his detention and sentence through Moroccan sources and court records. The article notes that in Morocco, a minor is defined as under 18.