Crime19 August, 20262 min read
British Coach Leon Baptiste Jailed in Marrakech for Sexually Assaulting a Minor
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
British athletics coach Leon Baptiste is jailed in Marrakech for sexually assaulting a minor. BBC Sport reports he disappeared for over two months before conviction.
5 outlets told this the same way.
Jailed in Marrakech
Leon Baptiste, a British athletics coach and former gold medallist, was reported “missing” in Morocco before BBC Sport revealed he is serving a prison sentence in Marrakech for sexually assaulting a minor. BBC Sport said Baptiste was arrested in Marrakech in May, later convicted, and is now held at Al-Oudaya prison, with his initial 10-month sentence later reduced to eight months on appeal.
A source at the Moroccan Ministry of Justice told BBC Sport that the “disappearance” reports were “inaccurate” and said Baptiste “had not lost contact with his surroundings and was not subject to any disappearance or unexplained absence.” The BBC also reported that a spokesperson for the Morocco Public Prosecution Office confirmed the sentence and said he is being held in Marrakech “following a court judgment against him.”
Foreign office and athletes
While UK Athletics and the sprinters he coached did not know why Baptiste was out of contact, BBC Sport reported that in May he sent a short message to the athletes saying he would be absent from training “for a while”. On Tuesday, BBC Sport said a brief email sent on Baptiste’s behalf told those he coached that he resigned, citing unspecified ill health, after media reports over the weekend described him as “missing” and said he had disappeared in Morocco.
Asked directly about Baptiste, a UK Foreign Office spokesperson said, “We are supporting a British national who is detained in Morocco and are in contact with the authorities.” BBC Sport reported that Baptiste’s absence left Olympic bronze medallist Charlie Dobson and Paralympic silver medallist Zac Shaw without a designated coach before the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and European Championships in Birmingham, and that Four-time European gold medallist Adam Gemili and relay coach Martyn Rooney stepped in to provide extra assistance.
Sentence, definition, and impact
BBC Sport reported that in Morocco a minor is deemed to be under 18, and that the Moroccan Ministry of Justice source said Baptiste is “currently being held at the local prison in Marrakech” while serving a custodial sentence following conviction by competent judicial authorities. The BBC also reported that the Morocco Public Prosecution Office spokesperson confirmed the sentence and nature of the conviction, adding that he is being held “following a court judgment against him in connection with his involvement in a criminal case.”
Daily Star said Baptiste was jailed in Morocco for 10 months for sexually assaulting a child, and it described him as having gone off the grid without explanation nearly four months ago after reportedly travelling to Morocco with pals. BBC Sport further reported that it was told Baptiste’s abrupt departure heavily disrupted the sprinters’ training during a crucial period, leaving them “ill-prepared and frustrated,” as BBC Sport approached UK Athletics for comment.