𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

The parents of murdered prison officer Lenny Scott have hailed the decision to expand whole life orders so that more killers die behind bars. Justice Secretary David Lammy said the scope for whole life orders, which state a prisoner can never be released from jail, will be widened to include those convicted of killing former police, prison or probation officers.

Father-of-three Mr Scott was shot dead by armed robber Elias Morgan for seizing a mobile phone from his jail cell years earlier while working at HMP Altcourse in Merseyside. The criminal was jailed for life with a minimum term of 45 years before being eligible for parole in September this year. But Mr Scott’s parents, Paula and Neil, wanted Morgan to die behind bars.

They said: “The murder of our son Lenny was a heartbreaking tragedy that has left a permanent hole in our family.

“Lenny was killed in cold blood because he did his job properly and refused to be intimidated.

“Although the man who murdered him is serving a long sentence, the fact remains that the law did not allow the judge to impose a whole life order simply because Lenny was no longer in post when he was killed.

“That has felt deeply unjust to us. It is very moving for us, his children and our whole family to know that losing Lenny has at least led to something positive. We remember him every day, and now we have something else to add to our positive memories.

“We want to thank the Shadow Justice Team, the Government and all those who have supported this campaign.

“We are very proud of Lenny and how brave and principled he was – that was who he was as a person.

“He stood up for what was right and paid a terrible price. But something good has come as a result, so we have another reason to be proud. Lenny always wanted to make a difference, and now he has.”

Whole life orders can already be handed down to those who target prison or police officers currently in their roles, but the law change will cover those off-duty or who are no longer serving.

Mr Lammy said on Tuesday: “I’d like to pay tribute to Lenny Scott, who was a dedicated prison officer and much-loved family man.

“In 2020, he seized an illicit mobile phone from a prisoner who took revenge four years later by taking his life in broad daylight.

“Perpetrators of heinous killings like these must feel the full force of the law. I can announce today that we will broaden the starting point for whole life orders to include murders connected to the current or former duties of a police, prison or probation officers.

“It is the latest step this Government is taking to keep our hard-working prison and probation staff safe.”

Responding to the announcement, shadow justice minister Dr Kieran Mullan said: “Lenny was murdered because he did the right thing.

“He refused a bribe, upheld the law and paid the ultimate price for his courage. Paula and Neil have shown extraordinary strength in turning their loss into a campaign for justice, and I am proud that the Shadow Justice Team helped bring their story to Parliament and push for this change.

“The Government’s decision to close this loophole is the right one and ensures the law now reflects what Parliament always intended.”

As of the end of September this year, 74 prisoners are serving whole-life tariffs.

Criminals who have been sentenced to whole life orders in recent years include child serial killer Lucy Letby, Sarah Everard’s killer Wayne Couzens, necrophiliac David Fuller, and Ali Harbi Ali, who murdered MP Sir David Amess.

Others include Louis De Zoysa, who murdered Metropolitan Police Sergeant Matt Ratana in 2020, and Kyle Clifford, who murdered his ex-partner Louise Hunt, her sister Hannah Hunt and mother Carol Hunt last year.