Cold-blooded killer jailed for life over execution of former prison officer in Skelmersdale
A gunman who murdered former prison officer Lenny Scott outside a Skelmersdale gym has been jailed for life.
Elias Morgan, 35, of Highgate Street, Liverpool, was told he must serve a minimum of 45 years before being considered for parole after being convicted of the killing last week following a ten-week trial.
Lenny, a much-loved father and only child, was shot dead in February 2024 in what police described as a “cold-blooded execution”.
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The gun used in the murder has never been recovered.
Morgan had held a grudge against him after Lenny seized an illicit mobile phone in prison which exposed Morgan and two other inmates’ relationships with a corrupt prison officer, Sarah Williams.
Despite receiving threats against himself and his family, Lenny refused to hand the phone back - a decision detectives said showed integrity but ultimately cost him his life.
Lenny’s mother, Paula Scott, told the court her world had been “shattered beyond repair” by her son’s killing.
She said: “I am furious that this happened to my son for doing the right thing. He did his job, with pride, integrity and maintained his strong values. Even when threatened, he followed procedure and reported things properly. He lost his life for standing up for what was right. That makes this even more tragic.
“Morgan has shown no regard for the consequences of his actions. He didn’t just hurt Lenny, he devastated countless lives.
“He stole his future, and he stole my future with him. He robbed his children of their father and tore him away from our family, his friends and colleagues who loved and respected him.”
Williams was jailed in 2023 for misconduct.
A second man, Anthony Cleary, stood trial alongside Morgan but was cleared.
Passing sentence Mr Justice Goose told the defendant: “This murder was a carefully planned, revenge killing of a prison officer. He was loved, respected and made his family proud.”
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Detective Chief Inspector Lee Wilson, who led the murder investigation, said: “Elias Morgan is nothing short of a cold-blooded executioner who took a man’s life for simply doing his job.
“He waited four years to carry out what he must have thought was a meticulously planned murder, but thanks to the painstaking work of detectives his plot was uncovered.”
He praised Lenny’s courage, adding: A man of huge integrity and bravery who did the right thing and who sadly paid the ultimate price by doing so.
“I hope that the guilty verdict and this lengthy sentence give his family some sense that justice has been done.”