Leonas Baptiste missed not only the European Athletics Championships last week in Birmingham but also the Commonwealth Games – he was missed for three months.
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Neither the British Athletics Federation nor the runners he coached knew anything for sure, as the coach had no contact with anyone during the summer.
The last contact with the 41-year-old coach was in May, when L. Baptiste wrote a short message that he would step back from coaching “for a while.” No further explanations were given.
It was known that before disappearing from sight, he had visited Morocco.
- Leonas Baptiste is a former British runner, mostly competing in 100 and 200 m distances. He became the European youth champion and later won at the Commonwealth Games.
- In 2014, he ended his athletic career and started working as a coach.
- Among L. Baptiste’s trainees recently were several British sprinters, including Olympic bronze medalist Charlie Dobson and Paralympic silver medalist Zac Shaw.
Accused of sexual assault
Sources from the Moroccan Ministry of Justice confirmed to the BBC that L. Baptiste was arrested in May in Marrakech.
“The foreigner you are asking about has not lost contact with his surroundings, he is not considered a missing person for unclear reasons. He is currently held in a local Marrakech prison, serving a sentence imposed by competent judges for a minor crime or misdemeanor,” a BBC source informed.
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BBC journalists learned that L. Baptiste traveled to Morocco with three friends, including other coaches, but none responded to inquiries.
It is believed that the coach’s family and the British Athletics Federation were unaware of the events in Morocco.
According to the BBC, L. Baptiste is accused of sexual assault of a minor. The details of the incident are not known. In Morocco, girls are considered adults from 18 years old.
The coach was sentenced to 10 months, but with a reduced term, he should spend eight months behind bars.
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