A former inmate has been found guilty of murdering a prison officer in a revenge killing, four years after vowing, 'I promise I will get you.' Elias Morgan, 35, shot Lenny Scott, a former HMP Altcourse officer, six times outside a gym in Skelmersdale, Lancashire, on 8 February 2024.
The murder was an 'act of retaliation' for Scott discovering Morgan's illicit mobile phone hidden in his cell in March 2020, which exposed Morgan's affair with a female prison guard. Morgan had offered Scott £1,500 to dispose of the phone, then threatened him, making a gun gesture with his fingers.
Scott, a father of three who had since left the Prison Service, was shot in the head and body before Morgan fled on an electric bike. Evidence showed Morgan scouted locations in Merseyside and Lancashire planning the 'cold-blooded' murder after his release from prison for drugs offences.
In 2020, Scott reported threats to police, saying Morgan described his home, partner, and twin boys 'to a T.' He told the operator, 'He said he's got lads everywhere, he's described my vehicle and he's described my house and what my girlfriend and twin boys look like.'
Wendy Logan, deputy head of the CPS north west complex casework unit, said: 'Lenny Scott was a devoted father who had bravely upheld his duty... Morgan – driven by revenge and believing he was above the law – carried out a cold-blooded murder.' A second defendant, Anthony Cleary, was cleared of charges.
