Lifetime ban for coach accused of abusing athletes

UK Athletics has issued a rare lifetime ban to a coach accused of sexual abuse of athletes.

John Lees, who coached at Edinburgh Athletics Club, faced misconduct charges spanning from 2009 to 2020, after a number of female athletes reported him last year.

In February, Lees was given a five-year ban from coaching, but UK Athletics subsequently decided to make the removal of his coaching licence permanent.

That decision was upheld and made public yesterday, after an independent appeal committee found the punishment proportionate for the eight misconduct charges against Lees.

Though Lees admitted to two of the charges – massaging an athlete who was under 18 at his home and “making inappropriate and sexualised comments to athletes in his training group” – he denies all other allegations and has never faced criminal charges.

Mhairi Maclennan, the Scottish cross-country champion, waived her anonymity as one of Lees’s accusers in a Telegraph interview in May, and yesterday said this was “the end of a very long journey. I’m immensely proud of all the athletes that have spoken up in this case”.

Campaign group Kyniska Advocacy, which was co-founded by Maclennan and advocates lifetime bans in sexual abuse cases, called the ruling “the only appropriate sanction. This is a hugely important step in rebuilding the trust between UKA and the athletics community”.

Mark Munro, who replaced Jo Coates as UK Athletics’ interim chief executive when she stepped down last month, said: “Athletics cannot tolerate the type of behaviour highlighted in this case. This decision shows that welfare is at the front and centre of UK Athletics’ concerns.”