Former British Sprinter Leon Baptiste Sentenced to Prison in Morocco for Sexual Assault of a Minor

Leon Baptiste, a former British sprint champion and Commonwealth Games gold medalist, is serving a sentence in a Moroccan prison after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a minor.

Morocco’s Ministry of Justice has dismissed reports that the 41-year-old had disappeared. It said that Baptiste had not suffered an “unexplained disappearance or absence,” but had instead been arrested and sentenced in the country.

A source at the Ministry of Justice, cited by the BBC, said the former athlete was arrested in Marrakesh in May. He is currently serving his sentence at Al-Oudaya prison.

Morocco’s Public Prosecutor’s Office also confirmed to the BBC both Baptiste’s sentence and the offense of which he was found guilty. According to a spokesperson, a British citizen is being held in a Marrakesh prison following a court ruling.

Baptiste had traveled to Morocco around two months before he was reported missing, and during that period he had stopped communicating with his contacts in Britain. He had gone there with three other former British athletes, who have since returned to Britain.

His family is aware of his imprisonment, while the British Foreign Office has said it is cooperating with the Moroccan authorities.

“We are providing support to a British national detained in Morocco and are in contact with the authorities,” a ministry spokesperson said.

The former sprinter was serving as a sprint consultant coach for the British national athletics team and was preparing some of the top athletes for the upcoming Commonwealth Games.

In May, according to the BBC, he informed some of the athletes he coached that he would be absent “for a while,” but did not explain why. Since then, the athletes had received no significant information about his absence.

On Tuesday, Baptiste sent them a short email informing them of his resignation. He attributed his departure to health problems, without providing details about their nature.

Only after this announcement did it become known that the 41-year-old was in a prison in Morocco. Moroccan authorities said he was in good health and serving his sentence in a Marrakesh prison.

Leon Baptiste has had a successful athletics career. At the 2010 Commonwealth Games, he won the gold medal in the 200 meters, while he has won a total of two medals at the competition.

After retiring from sport, he turned to coaching and was named British Athletics Coach of the Year in 2023.

His sudden absence has left several prominent British sprinters without a technical coach, including Olympic bronze medalist Charlie Dobson and Paralympic silver medalist Jacques Shaw.

According to reports, relay coach Martin Rooney and European champion Adam Gemili have taken on the task of supporting the athletes who were left without their coach.