British athletics coach Leon Baptist, who was reported missing by the media in recent days, is in prison in Morocco on a conviction for sexual assault on a minor, the BBC reported.
Baptist (41), who trained several of Britain's leading sprinters ahead of this year's Commonwealth Games and European Championships, suddenly cut off all contact with the athletes more than three months ago.
Neither British Athletics, for which he worked as a consultant and sprint coach, nor the athletes he trained knew the reason for his absence.
In May, he sent a short message to the athletes he coached informing them that he would be absent from training for a while, without further explanation. Over the weekend, some media outlets reported that he had disappeared in Morocco.
However, a source from the Moroccan Ministry of Justice confirmed to BBC Sport that Baptist was arrested in Marrakech in May, after which he was convicted and is currently serving a prison sentence in Al-Udaya prison.
The former British athlete was initially sentenced to 10 months in prison, but his sentence was reduced to eight months on appeal.
A spokesperson for the Moroccan prosecution confirmed both the sentence and the nature of the verdict, stating that the British citizen is in prison in Marrakech, where he is serving a sentence based on a court verdict in criminal proceedings.
According to Moroccan law, a minor is considered anyone under the age of 18.
A British Foreign Office spokesman said authorities were providing support to a British citizen detained in Morocco and were in contact with the relevant authorities.
Baptist arrived in Marrakech with three other former British athletes, who have since returned to the UK. According to BBC Sport, his family has been made aware of his imprisonment.
Baptist won two gold medals as an athlete at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, in the 200 meters and in the 4x100 meters relay, but ended his career at the age of 28 due to knee problems.
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