A former British inmate has been sentenced to 45 years in prison after being convicted last month of murdering a former prison guard who had once exposed his secret relationship with another officer.
Elias Morgan, 35, had planned the killing for years, according to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
Prosecutors said Morgan shot and killed Lenny Scott, a guard at the prison where Morgan had once been held. Years earlier, Scott had found a hidden cell phone in Morgan’s cell, which revealed Morgan’s affair with a female guard.
During Morgan’s trial, prosecutors explained that he was “driven by revenge” and waited four years before attacking Scott outside his gym in Skelmersdale, Lancashire.
Back in 2020, Morgan had offered Scott 1,500 euros in exchange for keeping the cell phone secret. When Scott refused, Morgan began threatening him, warning that he would “bide his time” and eventually take revenge, according to the CPS.
Over time, Morgan followed Scott at his home, his old gym, and finally his new gym. On February 8, 2024, he ambushed Scott and shot him six times in the head. Scott, a father of three, died instantly. Morgan turned himself in on February 22, 2024. He pleaded not guilty but was convicted of murder on August 29.
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“Morgan — driven by revenge and believing he was above the law — carried out a cold-blooded murder,” said Wendy Logan, Deputy Head of CPS North West’s Complex Casework Unit. “We were determined to deliver justice and our case showed how he carefully planned and executed his cruel act.”
The BBC reported that police described the killing as an “assassination,” calling Morgan a “cold-blooded executioner.” Sky News released security camera footage showing Morgan stepping out from behind a car before shooting Scott.
At the time of the murder, Morgan had been out on bail, according to reports.
In court on September 2, Scott’s mother, Paula Scott, gave a powerful statement before Morgan was sentenced. “My son was everything you are not,” she told him. “He was strong, brave, honest, respectful. He lost his life for standing up for what was right. You are a vile, inhuman coward.”
She said she will “forever be proud” of her son but described how his death devastated their family.
“Morgan has no regard for the impact of his actions,” Paula said. “He not only stole Lenny’s future, but ours as well. Lenny will never achieve the goals he was working toward or see his children grow up. That has been taken away from us all.”
