Men accused of shooting prison officer dead in 'revenge' pictured at Glastonbury
Two men accused of shooting a prison officer dead in a "revenge attack" were seen together at Glastonbury Festival, a court heard as a timeline of their relationship was detailed.
Elias Morgan and co-defendant Anthony Cleary are accused of the murder of dad-of-three Lenny Scott, who was fatally injured when he was shot outside a gym in Skelmersdale, West Lancashire, on February 8, 2024. Morgan, the alleged gunman, is accused of shooting the victim in an "act of retaliation" after Mr Scott, 33, exposed an illicit relationship involving him and a female officer at HMP Altcourse in Liverpool, the court heard. Cleary is alleged to have assisted Morgan by "delivering the van and bike so they could be used by a gunman who intended to kill Lenny Scott." Both men deny murder. Cleary also denies a second charge of manslaughter.
Court proceedings continued today as prosecutor Alex Leach KC took the jury through a sequence of events including CCTV, ANPR footage and cell site data. The prosecutor said the events showed contact between Morgan and Cleary as far back as June 2023, when they were seen together at Glastonbury Festival.
They attended the music festival just days after Morgan entered a not guilty plea to possession of the unauthorised phone recovered by Mr Scott. The pictures showed the pair posing with the festival in the background and another of the men lying down, with Cleary extending his arm around Morgan's shoulder, the Liverpool Echo reported.
The court heard telematics data on Morgan's Mercedes vehicle showed it was in Spain until December 11. And while it couldn't be established when the car went to Spain, it was there from at least July 11, the court was told. Between November 12 and 19 that year, a number attributed to Morgan used networks in the UAE and in Spain until December 11, the court heard.
The court heard phones attributed to Morgan and Cleary crossed from Spain into France on December 12. An Instagram message recovered from Cleary saw him telling an associate he was with "me bird, me mate" and that they were "bringing car back from Spain, few stops on the way." Images recovered from Cleary's handset showed them together in Paris. The Mercedes was back in Liverpool on December 13.
In the early hours of December 23, Morgan made a payment to Aer Lingus in Dublin and later made a payment to Manchester Airport, the court heard. A phone attributed to Morgan was used across mainland Europe between December 24 and 30 and in Spain between New Year's Eve and January 2, 2024.
Mr Leach then said that on January 3, Morgan went on a "reconnaissance trip" where, along with other unidentified men, he visited three addresses linked to Mr Scott. These included the North West Mecca Gym in Speke, Mr Scott's home address in Prescot and a gym at Peel House in Skelmersdale, outside of which he was shot dead, the Liverpool Echo reported.
The prosecutor said: "On the 8th of February 2024...Lenny Scott was coming out of his gym at Peel House in Skelmersdale when he was approached by a man wearing a high-visibility jacket and carrying a handgun. The man shot him, six times, to the head and body. Lenny Scott died of his injuries. The man travelled to and escaped from the scene on an electric motorbike, which he loaded onto the back of a van, a short distance away, before driving back towards Liverpool. The murder was, the prosecution says, an act of retaliation.
"The prosecution says that once you've 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. That alone would make him guilty of murder on count one.
"Moreover, the prosecution say, when you've 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, the second defendant, 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."
Mr Leach told the jury: "The evidence you are about to hear, 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 says, are guilty of his murder."
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