Guilty: Man who murdered former prison officer in Skelmersdale shooting

A man has been found guilty of murdering a former prison officer in a revenge killing outside a gym in Skelmersdale after the victim reported an illicit phone found in prison that exposed the killers’ relationship with a female prison officer.

Lenny Scott, who had worked as a prison officer at HMP Altcourse, was shot six times on 8 February 2024 after leaving a gym on Peel Road.

Elias Morgan, 35, planned and executed the shooting.

The prosecution case argued that Morgan was driven by a desire for revenge, after Lenny Scott, who was working at HMP Altcourse in 2020, where Morgan was in custody, reported the phone which contained evidence of his illicit relationship with a female prison officer.

Wendy Logan, Deputy Head of CPS North West’s Complex Casework Unit, said: “Lenny Scott was a devoted father who had bravely upheld his duty when working as a prison officer, by reporting an illicit phone he found in Elias Morgan’s cell in 2020.

“He did so in the face of attempts at bribery and also threats and intimidation by Morgan, and his commitment to public service will not be forgotten.

“Morgan - driven by revenge and believing he was above the law - carried out a cold-blooded murder.

“We were determined to deliver justice and see Morgan brought to book for his evil crime and our case set out in clear terms how he planned and carried out his callous act.

“Our thoughts remain with Lenny’s family, particularly his three young children, and all those who cared for him as they deal with his loss.”

In 2020, Mr Scott was working as a prison officer at HMP Altcourse. On 26 March that year, as a result of a search, he recovered a mobile phone in Elias Morgan’s cell.

Knowing that the phone contained information about an affair he was having with a female prison officer, Morgan attempted to persuade Mr Scott not to submit the phone.

He offered Mr Scott £1,500 to get rid of the phone and when that didn’t succeed, he turned to threats, saying he would “bide his time, but that he would get him.”

Four years later, Morgan shot Mr Scott six times to his head and body before fleeing the scene on an electric bike.

Evidence presented by the prosecution showed that Morgan scouted out the places he believed Mr Scott may be as he planned the murder.

On 3 January 2024, Morgan travelled with others to Mr Scott’s home address, a gym in Speke previously used by Mr Scott and the gym on Peel Road.

As part of the planning, a van had been parked at the end of a cul de sac, a short distance away from the gym.

Morgan travelled from Liverpool to Skelmersdale on the day of the murder, in a Mercedes vehicle registered to his mother, leaving it a short distance from where the van was.

Following the murder, Morgan rode an electric motorbike along footpaths and across fields, to avoid detection, loading it into the van that had been left in there day before.

Morgan was arrested on 22 February 2024; he made no comment during his police interview and went on to plead not guilty to murder.

Following a trial at Preston Crown Court, on 29 August 2025, Morgan was convicted of murdering Lenny Scott.

Sentencing will take place on 2 September 2025.