A former inmate has been convicted of murdering a prison officer in revenge for reporting the phone he had hidden in his cell.
Elias Morgan, 35, was said to have promised Lenny Scott, 33, he would ‘get him’ eventually following the incident while he was serving a sentence at HMP Altcourse in Liverpool in 2020.
The discovery of the phone exposed Morgan’s relationship with a female prison officer.
Mr Scott, a father of three young children, was shot six times in the head and body after leaving the gym in Skelmersdale, Lancashire, on February 8 last year.
On Friday, a jury at Preston Crown Court found Morgan, from Prescot, Merseyside, guilty of his murder.
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Wendy Logan, deputy head of CPS North West’s complex casework unit, said: ‘Lenny Scott was a devoted father who had bravely upheld his duty when working as a prison officer by reporting an illicit phone he found in Elias Morgan’s cell in 2020.
‘He did so in the face of attempts at bribery and also threats and intimidation by Morgan – and his commitment to public service will not be forgotten.
‘Morgan – driven by revenge and believing he was above the law – carried out a cold-blooded murder.
‘We were determined to deliver justice and see Morgan brought to book for his evil crime – and our case set out in clear terms how he planned and carried out his callous act.
‘Our thoughts remain with Lenny’s family – particularly his three young children – and all those who cared for him as they deal with his loss.’
A second man, Anthony Cleary, 29, of Liverpool, was found not guilty of murder and manslaughter, the CPS spokesman said.
Morgan will be sentenced on Tuesday.
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