'Missing' athletics coach Baptiste actually serving prison sentence in Morocco

British athletics coach Leon Baptiste, whose sudden disappearance made headlines over the weekend, is actually serving a custodial sentence in Morocco, BBC Sport can reveal. The 41-year-old, who won 200m gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, had been silent for more than three months, leaving UK Athletics and the sprinters he coached without explanation.

In May, Baptiste told his athletes he would be away from training "for a while" but gave no further detail. After weekend media reports described him as missing in Morocco, he emailed the athletes on Tuesday to resign from his coaching role, citing unspecified ill health.

A source at Morocco's Ministry of Justice confirmed to BBC Sport that Baptiste was arrested in Marrakech in May and has since been convicted, and is now held at Al-Oudaya prison. The source said reports of a disappearance were inaccurate, stressing he had never lost contact with his surroundings and is instead serving a sentence handed down by the competent judicial authorities in a misdemeanour case. He was described as being in good health.

No details were given about the nature of the conviction or the length of the sentence, which the source said was not unusual under Moroccan judicial procedure. Morocco's Public Prosecution Office separately confirmed the British national is held at a Marrakech prison following a court judgment in a criminal case.

Asked about the case, a UK Foreign Office spokesperson said Britain is supporting a detained British national and remains in contact with Moroccan authorities. Sources told BBC Sport that Baptiste travelled to Marrakech with three other former British athletes, all of whom have since returned home. Baptiste's family are understood to be aware of his imprisonment.