Three more British former athletes convicted in Morocco in connection with Leon Baptiste case
On 28 August 2026, BBC Sport revealed that three British former athletes and two acquaintances were convicted in Morocco in connection with an investigation into the sexual assault of a minor by sprint coach Leon Baptiste, who is serving a prison sentence in Marrakech.
The prosecutions resulted in the imprisonment of Leon Baptiste, a UK Athletics coach and 2010 Commonwealth 200m gold medallist for England; court documents describe the victim as 16 years old and say she suffered "psychological trauma, sexual exploitation, physical assault and injury, and the violation of her human dignity." Baptiste was originally reported missing in Morocco in some media articles published on 14 August before a BBC Sport investigation revealed his conviction and jailing; he was sentenced to 10 months in prison, reduced to eight months on appeal, and has resigned from his role as a consultant coach to UK Athletics via a message sent on his behalf on 18 August citing ill-health.
Will Sharman, Richard Sharman and Lamin Deen, who were on holiday with Baptiste, were convicted of participating in the enticement of a minor and, along with Ashley O'Leary Jones and David Tuck, were given suspended sentences of four months and fined 500 dirhams (£40) each in June, according to court records; all five were acquitted of a separate charge of inciting a minor to engage in prostitution and their convictions and sentences were upheld after an appeal hearing in July. The five men said via their lawyers they were never arrested and were unaware of their convictions until informed by BBC Sport, and their spokesperson told BBC Sport: "William, Richard, Lamin, David and Ashley are shocked and distressed by the circumstances in which they have unexpectedly found themselves. "They reject any suggestion that they knowingly engaged in unlawful or improper conduct. "At the time, they understood that they had paid an administrative fine equivalent to approximately £40 and that the matter had concluded."
The Morocco presidency of the public ministry provided BBC Sport with the court judgement concerning the group, which states: "The defendants were in the company of [Leon Baptiste] and were seated at the same table as the minor, alongside her. "They thereby assisted him in deceiving the minor and persuading her to engage in sexual relations [with Baptiste]. This constitutes participation in the enticement of a minor. "The court found them guilty on this count and decided to convict them for these acts." Moroccan police are understood to have raided a villa in Tamensourt after a girl contacted them claiming she had been brought to the property, had not been paid money she was promised in exchange for sex with Baptiste, and that she had been assaulted by a housekeeper after being accused of stealing a watch.
Several other people were also convicted in relation to the case: the villa housekeeper and two security guards received two-month suspended prison sentences and fines of 5,000 dirhams (£396) each, the manager of the Montecristo nightclub was sentenced to two months in jail, and additional prosecutions involved a waiter at the Montecristo and the owner of the agency renting the villa. The girl, a Moroccan national, was awarded civil compensation of 60,000 dirhams (£4,784) to be paid jointly by all convicted parties, plus court costs.
Biographical details published with the reporting show Baptiste is 41; Will Sharman, also described in the material, won silver medals in the 110m hurdles at the Commonwealth Games in 2010 and 2014 and at the 2014 European Championships and has worked on the BBC gameshow Gladiators, was featured on BBC Radio 4 as a pianist in 2015 and appeared as a panel guest on A Question of Sport in 2014. Richard Sharman, 44, formerly competed in elite-level bobsleigh for Great Britain and lists roles on social media as an industrial engineer, pilot and investor; Lamin Deen, 45, is a former lance sergeant who served in the grenadier guards and competed in bobsleigh at the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics and worked as a pundit for TNT Sports during the 2026 Games in Milan-Cortina. Companies House and social-media records cited in the reporting show O'Leary Jones is a director of a company running five children's care homes in Greater Manchester, and Tuck's online CV indicates military service and coaching roles including at Stoke City, Apollon Limassol and Orlando Pride.
The Montecristo nightclub, where the group met the girl, was described on its website as a "temple dedicated to partying in Marrakech [which] is undeniably the favourite place for hedonists in the city"; the venue was closed by Moroccan authorities during the investigation and a social-media statement posted on 15 May said: "Montecristo would like to provide clarification and reaffirm its commitment to the values that have always defined us. "We are treating this matter with the utmost seriousness and are fully co-operating with the relevant authorities in a spirit of transparency and responsibility." BBC Sport contacted Montecristo for comment but received no reply. When asked to comment on the convictions and potential safeguarding issues, the UK Foreign Office, Home Office and Department for Culture, Media and Sport declined to provide a response.
The Moroccan charity Touche Pas À Mon Enfant issued a statement expressing concern about Baptiste's sentence and its reduction on appeal, saying: "While fully respecting judicial independence and the decisions handed down by competent courts, we cannot hide our astonishment and deep concern regarding a sentence of such duration in a case involving the sexual assault of a minor - particularly given that the sentence was reduced on appeal." The report also cites a 2016 UNAIDS estimate of around 75,000 sex workers operating in Morocco and notes that the children's-rights organisation Humanium has described sex tourism there as "a thriving industry."
Baptiste is serving his sentence in Al-Oudaya prison and, according to the reporting, will be deported from Morocco once he is released.
