Arabic version: المدرب ليون بابتيست يقضي عقوبة سجن في المغرب

According to BBC News, English athletics coach and former Commonwealth Games gold medallist Leon Baptiste is serving a prison sentence in Morocco after being convicted of sexually assaulting a minor.

A source at the Moroccan Ministry of Justice told BBC Sport that Baptiste was arrested in Marrakech in May and is being held at Al-Oudaya prison. He was initially sentenced to 10 months in prison, with the term later reduced to eight months on appeal. A spokesperson for the Morocco Public Prosecution Office confirmed the sentence and the nature of the conviction.

Baptiste, 41, had been described in media reports as missing after going out of contact more than three months ago. The Moroccan Ministry of Justice source said reports of his disappearance were inaccurate, stating that he had not lost contact with his surroundings and was not subject to an unexplained absence. The source added that he was in good health.

In May, Baptiste sent athletes he coached a short message saying he would be absent from training “for a while”. On Tuesday, an email sent on his behalf to those athletes said he had resigned, citing unspecified ill health. Neither UK Athletics nor the sprinters coached by Baptiste had known why he was unavailable.

His absence affected British sprinters including Olympic bronze medallist Charlie Dobson and Paralympic silver medallist Zac Shaw before the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and European Championships in Birmingham. Adam Gemili and relay coach Martyn Rooney provided additional assistance. A UK Foreign Office spokesperson said it was supporting a British national detained in Morocco and was in contact with authorities.