HMP Altcourse prison officer shot in 'revenge plot', jury told

HMP Altcourse prison officer shot in 'revenge plot', jury told

An ex-prison officer met his untimely demise in a calculated act of revenge, four years after confiscating a mobile phone from an inmate, a jury was informed. Lenny Scott, 33, was fatally shot six times with a handgun in the car park of a gym in Skelmersdale, Lancashire, on 8th February 2024. Shocking imagery on the phone divulged a “sexual relationship” between prisoner Elias Morgan and another prison officer, Sarah Williams, at HMP Altcourse in Liverpool, leading to legal actions against them, as stated in Preston Crown Court.

The accused, Mr. Morgan, aged 35, and Anthony Cleary, aged 29, both residents of Edge Hill in Liverpool, denied allegations of Mr. Scott’s murder, with Mr. Cleary additionally denying a charge of manslaughter. During the trial’s commencement, the jury learned that Mr. Scott exited the gym on Peel Road at 19:34 GMT that fateful evening and proceeded towards his vehicle. The assailant, clad in a high-visibility jacket, was captured on CCTV approaching Mr. Scott before turning violent, firing multiple shots at him.

Following the shooting, the perpetrator absconded on an electric bicycle, initially stashed in the Daybrook housing estate, near the gym, inside a white van. Prosecutors asserted that Mr. Cleary drove the van there, hauled by a low-loader truck, for Mr. Morgan’s retrieval. Subsequently, Mr. Morgan, driving his mother’s Mercedes GLC car, arrived at the estate, secured the bike, and made a swift departure, according to testimonies. The prosecution contended that the shooting was a retribution for a search Mr. Scott conducted in Mr. Morgan’s cell, uncovering incriminating evidence on the iPhone he refused to withhold.

Mr. Scott purportedly rejected a £1,500 bribe from Mr. Morgan to withhold the phone, leading to severe threats against him and his family. Despite the intimidations, Mr. Scott remained resolute in submitting the evidence, resulting in both officers’ criminal prosecution. The jury was told of Mr. Scott’s desperate pleas to Merseyside Police, expressing fears for his family’s safety due to Mr. Morgan’s threats, underscoring the chilling nature of the situation

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