Jury hears police interview about accused hitting murder victim with baseball bat

The jury heard a witness tell officers he saw the accused hit the victim in the head with a baseball bat. CTV London's Nick Paparella has more from court.

For the past several days, Shane Cameron of London has been a reluctant Crown witness who has told the court he fears for the safety of himself and his family.

While on the stand, he has repeatedly said he can’t recall much of what happened in the days surrounding the death of 59-year-old Grant Norton in the summer of 2020.

However, the jury is now listening to his taped London police interview with officers Alan O’Brien and Meaghan Gilmore from September of that year.

He tells police that he went to the apartment of the accused, Ashley Bourget, who lived at 20 Adelaide St. S., along with his friend Adam Wade.

He said once there, “We walked in, there was a gentleman on the couch with I think a pillow case or something over his head.”

He goes on to say, “That very moment when I walked in there was two people that tied him up... I’m like I don’t know what’s going on.”

Cameron said he believes they were trying to rob Norton because he was a well-known drug dealer in London.

Then he tells police, “I look over and Ashley is taking a baseball bat to Grant’s head, like and beating him repulsively over and over and over.”

The witness added," She (Bourget) turns around and says, “Can one of you mother***** knock this guy out?‘”

Cameron said when he left the apartment, Norton was still alive, “They were tying up his hands to his feet or to his legs.”

Then he said, “Even when Ashley was friggin’ beating Grant in the head with a baseball bat, she was saying something about, ‘oh you like that, eh Grant?‘”

Norton’s body would be found stuffed in a barrel on a ravine by the Thames River near Jacqueline and Ada Streets in July of 2020, not far from the apartment of the accused.

The 40-year-old Bourget has pleaded not guilty to first degree murder in the case.

The day’s evidence would end up getting cut short because Cameron told the court that he had overdosed from fentanyl a day and a half ago and he wasn’t feeling well.

The trial and his testimony are expected to resume on Thursday.