Former Commonwealth Games gold medallist and British athletics coach Leon Baptiste, who was recently reported missing in Morocco, is currently serving a prison sentence in the country after being convicted of sexually assaulting a minor, BBC Sport has revealed.

Baptiste, 41, disappeared from public view more than three months ago, leaving several British sprinters he had been coaching without an explanation.

In May 2026, the former 200m champion sent the athletes a brief message informing them that he would be away from training “for a while”. No further details were provided.

His sudden absence became public over the weekend when reports claimed he had gone missing in Morocco.

However, a subsequent email sent to the athletes on his behalf said he had resigned from his coaching role because of unspecified ill health.

A source at Morocco’s Ministry of Justice confirmed to BBC Sport that Baptiste was arrested in Marrakech in May and later convicted.

He was initially sentenced to 10 months in prison but the punishment was reduced to eight months following an appeal.

The Moroccan authorities rejected reports that he had disappeared.

“The foreign national concerned had not lost contact with his surroundings and was not subject to any disappearance or unexplained absence,” a statement said.

They added that Baptiste was “in good health” and was serving his sentence at Al-Oudaya prison.

A spokesperson for the Morocco Public Prosecution Office also confirmed his conviction, while the UK Foreign Office offered their support.

“We are supporting a British national who is detained in Morocco and are in contact with the authorities,” they said.

Baptiste had been working as a consultant sprint coach for UK Athletics and was involved with athletes including Olympic bronze medallist Charlie Dobson and Paralympic silver medallist Zac Shaw.

His abrupt departure disrupted their preparations, with Adam Gemili and relay coach Martyn Rooney stepping in to provide additional support ahead of the Commonwealth Games and European Championships.

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