- Convicted armed robber Elias Morgan has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 45 years for the murder of former prison officer Lenny Scott.
- Morgan ambushed and shot Scott six times outside a gym in Skelmersdale, nearly four years after Scott confiscated a phone from his cell at HMP Altcourse — a phone that exposed Morgan’s illicit affair with prison officer Sarah Williams.
- The judge called it a “carefully planned revenge killing,” and Morgan offered no defense or remorse during sentencing.
It was a murder four years in the making — and on Tuesday, justice finally caught up with Elias Morgan.
The 35-year-old gangland figure was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 45 years for the calculated killing of former prison officer Lenny Scott. The courtroom at Preston Crown Court fell silent as Mr Justice Goose delivered the verdict, describing Morgan as a “cold-blooded executioner” who took the life of a man simply doing his job.
Scott, a father of three, was ambushed outside a gym in Skelmersdale on February 8, 2024. Morgan, wearing a mask and hi-vis jacket, shot him six times — once in the head and five times in the body — before fleeing on an electric scooter.
The motive? Revenge. In 2020, while serving time at HMP Altcourse, Morgan had his phone seized by Scott. That phone contained evidence of a sexual relationship with prison officer Sarah Williams, who later admitted misconduct in public office. Morgan tried to bribe Scott with £1,500 to keep quiet. When Scott refused, Morgan vowed to “bide his time” — and he did.
By the time Morgan carried out the attack, he had completed his sentence and Scott had left the prison service. But the threat lingered. Detectives later uncovered evidence that Morgan had stalked Scott in the weeks leading up to the murder, learning his routine before striking.
In court, Morgan refused to speak. His barrister, Caroline Goodwin KC, said she had been instructed to offer “no mitigation, no submissions and no representations.” The silence was deafening.
Scott’s family, devastated by the loss, delivered emotional victim impact statements. His mother, Paula Scott, described her son as a man of integrity who paid the ultimate price for doing the right thing. “He was loved, he was respected, and he made us proud,” she said.
The gun used in the murder has never been recovered. Morgan’s co-accused, Anthony Cleary, was found not guilty.
As the sentence was handed down, Morgan showed no emotion. But for Scott’s family, the verdict marked the end of a long, painful chapter — and a reminder that integrity, even in the face of danger, matters.
