Court hears of grim discovery of body found in barrel in east London

Disturbing evidence in the trial of a woman charged in the death of a man found stuffed into a barrel – CTV London’s Nick Paparella has more from the courthouse

Warning: This story contains details of a graphic murder. Discretion is advised.

In a London courtroom on Wednesday, the jury heard that murder victim Grant Norton, 59, sold drugs at a high level. At the time, there were rumors that he was in $1.5 million of debt.

The jury heard that around the time he went missing on July 6, 2020, he was attempting to broker a deal with the accused in this case, 40-year-old Ashley Bourget, who was known in drug circles as, “Big Ashley.”

One of the last people to see Norton alive was Carli Greaves who also sold drugs.

She testified that on the evening of July 6, she saw Norton with a lot of cash in his car - she thought it was about $30,000.

However, she said she wanted no part of a deal with Bourget, “Me and Ashley never got along, I didn’t trust her.”

After that night Norton disappeared. About two weeks later his body would be found in a barrel in a wooded lot near the Thames River, at Jacqueline and Ada Streets in east London.

The court heard that it was not far away from where Bourget lived, at 20 Adelaide Street S.

The court has heard that Norton died from blunt force head injuries and stab wounds to the chest.

London Police Detective Blake Morrison was the next to testify on Wednesday, he said that on July 19, 2020, a missing person investigation quickly turned to murder, “We received information that [Norton] was involved in the drug culture and that he had been murdered.”

After investigators located the barrel it was confirmed, “It was summer and I was informed that the human remains were in an advanced state of decomposition... the individual in the barrel was Grant Norton,” stated Morrison.

Ashley Bourget would be brought in for questioning and eventually charged with first degree murder. She has plead not guilty.

Later the jury was shown surveillance video from a home in the area, which was taken about 24 hours after Norton was last seen alive.

The court saw two males walking down the street and Detective Morrison said, “One male is pushing a lawnmower with what appears to be a barrel on top.”

That male would be identified as 55-year-old Joseph Hodgkin, who in August 2023 would plead guilty to disposing of Norton’s body.

The jury was told that he is expected to testify later at the trial.