An illicit relationship between a dishonest prison officer and an inmate was exposed during the murder trial of a guard who revealed the affair.
Elias Morgan, a former prisoner aged 35, was recently convicted of murdering prison officer Lenny Scott, 33, outside a gym in Skelmersdale, Lancashire, on February 8 the previous year. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) stated that Mr. Scott, employed as a prison officer at HMP Altcourse in 2020, discovered a mobile phone in Morgan’s cell on March 26 of that year.
In an attempt to conceal the affair he was having with female prison officer Sarah Williams, Morgan tried to dissuade Mr. Scott from submitting the phone, offering him £1,500 to dispose of it. When this failed, Morgan resorted to threats. Four years later, he fatally shot Mr. Scott six times before fleeing on an electric bike.
The trial also revealed the relationship between the inmate and the officer. Williams, as reported by the Liverpool Echo, engaged in relationships with multiple prisoners at HMP Altcourse after starting her job at the prison in early 2020.
Williams, a former prison officer from Widnes, was found to have communicated with prisoners whose mobile phones were seized during cell searches, leading to her arrest by the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit. She was later charged and sentenced to 18 months in prison for misconduct and unauthorized data access.
The court learned that Williams had relationships with three prisoners, including Morgan, which ultimately had long-lasting repercussions. The sexual relationship between Morgan and Williams was discovered through the phone found in his cell, leading to Morgan’s threats to Mr. Scott and the subsequent tragic event.
Following his arrest on February 22, 2024, Morgan remained silent during police questioning but was eventually convicted of Mr. Scott’s murder. Anthony Cleary, another individual involved, was acquitted of murder and manslaughter charges. Morgan’s sentencing is scheduled for Tuesday.
