Overview

• Jurors at Preston Crown Court returned the murder verdict on Friday, while co-defendant Anthony Cleary was acquitted of both murder and manslaughter.
• Prosecutors said Morgan sought revenge after Scott recovered an illicit phone in 2020 that exposed Morgan’s affair with prison officer Sarah Williams, rejecting a £1,500 bribe and reporting subsequent threats.
• Scott, 33, was shot six times outside a gym on Peel Road in Skelmersdale on 8 February 2024 by a masked attacker in a hi-vis jacket.
• Evidence outlined scouting of Scott’s home and gyms on 3 January 2024, links to a Mercedes and a staged van, and an escape on an electric Sur‑Ron bike later loaded into the van.
• Morgan was arrested on 22 February 2024, made no comment in interview, pleaded not guilty at trial, and is due to be sentenced on Tuesday, 2 September 2025.