Brutal shooting of prison officer outside gym was 'act of retaliation'

Daily Record

a day ago

Lenny Scott tragically died after being shot six times last February.
A dad-of-three was fatally shot six times outside a gym in an "act of retaliation".
Former prison officer Lenny Scott, 33, died following the incident in the car park of Peel House in Skelmersdale, West Lancashire, on February 8, 2024. The gunman, wearing a hi-vis jacket, walked up to him before opening fire.
Elias Morgan, the alleged gunman, and Anthony Cleary are both on trial at Preston Crown Court charged with his murder. Morgan is said to have shot him in response to an incident nearly four years previously where Mr Scott exposed an illicit relationship between the then serving prisoner and a female colleague.
Mr Scott reportedly refused a £1,500 bribe in return for not reporting a phone Morgan had illegally while in prison, and also contained proof of the affair. Morgan, 35, allegedly threatened him: "I'll bide my time, but I promise I will get you."
Cleary, 29, is accused of assisting him by procuring a van and e-bike used in the shooting, the Liverpool ECHO reports.
Prosecutor Alex Leach KC walked the jury through a series of events. They heard how Mr Scott was seen on CCTV walking through the Peel House complex at 5.28pm, in the direction of the gym.
A Mercedes driven by Morgan left his home address and travelled to Skelmersdale, arriving at 5.40pm. The court was told a "male with his face covered" was then spotted running along an alleyway from where Morgan had left the car.
Shortly after, "a rider wearing dark clothing on a bike" was picked up on cameras travelling along Chequer Lane at 6.03pm before arriving at Peel House three minutes later. A man in dark clothing ran towards the Mercedes around 20 minutes later, with the car then travelling away.
Footage showed a rider wearing a hi-vis jacket riding along Chequer Lane at 6.42pm, before entering the car park of Peel House less than five minutes later. Mr Leach said the rider was seen on CCTV"at the top of the car park" for around 49 minutes, and circled the area several times.
Further footage showed Mr Scott walking with others inside Peel House before exiting into the car park and stopping to speak to someone outside, just metres from his own car. It then showed "the rider now on foot and approaching the entrance to Peel House".
The court was then shown the moment the gunman opened fire on Mr Scott at 7.35pm, before fleeing the scene on the bike. Mr Scott's mother Paula, who was sitting in the public gallery with police liaison officers, was seen wiping her eyes as the video was played.
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Mr Leach previously told the jury in the prosecution's opening remarks: "The murder was, the prosecution says, an act of retaliation. The prosecution says that, once you have heard the evidence, you will be sure that, at the very least, Elias Morgan orchestrated Lenny Scott's murder, recruiting Anthony Cleary to assist him in doing so.
"Moreover, the prosecution say that, when you have examined the fine detail of the evidence, you will be sure not only that Elias Morgan is guilty of murder by organising the killing of Lenny Scott, you will be sure that it was he who pulled the trigger himself. For his part, Anthony Cleary played a supporting role.
"Acting on instructions, he delivered the van containing the electric motorbike used by the gunman to a housing estate close to the gym. Moreover, he knew that he was delivering the van and bike so that they could be used by a gunman who intended to kill Lenny Scott, or at least to cause him really serious harm.
"The evidence, when examined in detail, reveals a powerful image, one in which Elias Morgan, driven by a desire for revenge and reliant on Anthony Cleary for his assistance, planned and executed the murder of Lenny Scott. Both men, the prosecution say, are guilty of his murder."
Both men deny the charge of murder, with Cleary also pleading not guilty to a charge of manslaughter. The trial continues.