Former Commonwealth Games gold medallist and British sprint coach Leon Baptiste, who had reportedly been missing for more than three months, is serving an eight-month prison sentence in Morocco after being convicted of sexually assaulting a minor.
Moroccan authorities confirmed the 41-year-old was arrested in Marrakech in May and remains imprisoned at Al-Oudaya, rejecting reports that his disappearance was unexplained.
Baptiste, who worked as a consultant coach for UK Athletics, had told athletes only that he would be away “for a while” before contact ceased, and has since resigned citing ill health. His sudden absence disrupted preparations for several leading British sprinters ahead of the Commonwealth Games and European Championships, with other coaches forced to step in.
The UK Foreign Office confirmed it is providing consular assistance to a British national detained in Morocco.
Former British athlete and sprints coach Leon Baptiste has been serving a 10-month prison sentence in Morocco.
According to @BBCSport, he was arrested in Marrakech in May for sexually assaulting a minor, and is serving his sentence at Al-Oudaya prison.
In Morocco, a minor is… pic.twitter.com/p4mgELNWS3
— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) August 19, 2026
