A man accused of murder searched online for news of a shooting minutes after a WhatsApp chat with the alleged gunman, a court was told. He is also alleged to have searched YouTube on how to ‘delete iPhone location history’ shortly after. Anthony Cleary is one of two men accused of murdering Lenny Scott, who was fatally shot on Peel Road in Skelmersdale on February 8, 2024. Prosecutors allege Cleary assisted co-defendant Elias Morgan in a fatal “revenge plot”. Preston Crown Court heard Morgan “planned and executed the murder” after Mr Scott exposed his illicit relationship with a female prison officer at HMP Altcourse. Prosecutor Alex Leach KC said that after Mr Scott refused 拢1,500 not to report a phone containing evidence of the relationship, Morgan threatened him, saying: “I’ll bide my time, but I promise I will get you” and made a gun gesture. Nearly four years later, Mr Scott was shot by a gunman wearing a hi-vis jacket, who fired at his body and head, reports the Liverpool Echo . The prosecution said it would provide evidence Morgan orchestrated Lenny Scott’s murder with Cleary’s assistance. The prosecution also said the gunman was Elias himself while Clearly delivered a van and bike used by Mr Scott’s killer. The court heard Cleary, a car transporter driver, requested a low-loader truck to transport his friend’s van to Skelmersdale. On February 7, shortly after 6pm, he drove a Vauxhall Combo van, owned by a cleaning business run by Morgan’s brother Ezra, to Daybrook in Skelmersdale. Mr Leach said: “The prosecution says that Anthony Cleary had delivered the van to a location close enough to the intended scene of the shooting for the gunman who was to use it to access the electric motorbike that it contained, and ride to the Peel House Gym, using the ginnels that connected Daybrook to the Peel House estate.” The court heard Cleary also provided Morgan with a link to a Google Map of the area where Mr Scott was shot. Having been captured on CCTV at a service station near Birmingham, Cleary had been “excluded” from the scene, but had been on a WhatsApp call with Morgan shortly after 11pm. The court heard Cleary then searched Google for “skem news now” at 11.26pm. A minute later, he accessed a tweet from “SkemPolice” referencing the shooting, before Morgan called again. He is also said to have searched the news again, including a LancsLive story on the shooting. Mr Leach told the jury, in the early hours of February 10, Cleary searched “delete iPhone location history” on YouTube, and watched a video titled “How to Check & Delete iPhone Location History”, with the intention of deleting any digital trace linking him to the murder of Lenny Scott. Mr Leach claimed Morgan had on January 4, 2024, visited three locations with connections to Lenny Scott, including his home address, a gym in Speke, and the Peel House gym where he was shot. Mr Leach said CCTV footage of a Mercedes GLC, insured by Morgan’s mum, was seen on the day of the killing on Darfield in Skelmersdale. A figure walked from the car to Daybrook where the van had been parked by Cleary. The jury heard CCTV captured a person on an electric motorbike doing a “dry run” of the gym before returning to the car. The prosecution said while this wasn’t sufficient to identify Morgan, when taken into context against all the other evidence, it becomes clear it was Morgan riding the electric bike. Mr Leach said the gunman left in the van containing the electric bike following the shooting. The jury were played footage of the moment Mr Scott was shot. It showed the gunman waiting in the carpark before approaching Mr Scott and firing several shots before fleeing. The court heard the Mercedes was retrieved from Skelmersdale the following day and CCTV captured it at Maghull Baptist Church on February 13. Mr Leach said CCTV footage appeared to show the driver changing the number plates. The driver later parked on Ivydale Road in Mossley Hill, removed a bag from the boot and walked away. Mr Leach said Morgan’s fingerprints were found on the car’s false number plates, and his blood was found on control panel wiring that had been removed. A search of Morgan’s address revealed an electric bike charger, while paperwork and a black jacket, consistent with the one worn by the Mercedes driver, was found at another property alongside the keys for the Mercedes GLC. Both Morgan and Cleary were charged with Mr Scott’s murder in June 2024. Alex Leach KC told the court on Tuesday that Mr Scott was a prison officer at HMP Altcourse when he searched Morgan’s cell and found the illicit phone. Mr Leach said Mr Scott told his former partner, Lucy Carnill, his mum, and his then partner, Lucy Griffiths, that Morgan threatened to blow up his house “with his family inside” Four days later, Mr Scott, called police he in fear for his family’s life. The jury heard he also reported “threats” to the Prison Service, allegedly from Morgan. Mr Leach said phone analysis revealed Morgan was in a sexual relationship with another prison officer, Sarah Williams. He said she had given Morgan details about other prisoners and gave a witness statement with Morgan being arrested and interview under caution. Williams admitted three offences of misconduct in a public officer and a computer misuse offence, while Morgan pleaded not guilty to unauthorised possession of the mobile phone. His trial was adjourned until February 19 2024 – 11 days after Mr Scott was killed. Morgan, 35, of Highgate Street, and Cleary, 29, of Smithdown Lane, both deny murder. Cleary also denies a second count of manslaughter. The trial before Mr Justice Goose continues. Join the Manchester Evening News WhatsApp group HERE