English athletics coach and former gold medallist Leon Baptiste is serving a prison sentence in Morocco, the Moroccan Ministry of Justice has confirmed. Baptiste, 41, was arrested in Marrakech in May and has since been convicted, according to a source at the ministry.
He is currently held at Al-Oudaya prison, serving a custodial sentence following his conviction by judicial authorities in connection with a misdemeanour case. The Moroccan Ministry of Justice source stated that Baptiste was not missing and had not lost contact with his surroundings, contrary to earlier media reports.
A spokesperson for the Morocco Public Prosecution Office also confirmed that the British national is serving a custodial sentence following a court judgment. The UK Foreign Office has stated it is supporting a British national detained in Morocco and is in contact with the authorities.
Baptiste, a 200m gold medallist at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, had been coaching top British track athletes before he went out of contact more than three months ago. His absence reportedly disrupted the training of some British sprinters ahead of the Commonwealth Games and European Championships.