London, Ont. man sentenced for role in Grant Norton homicide case

Grant Norton was friends with Joseph Hodgkin, 52, for a long time. However in the middle of the night on July 7, 2020, an intoxicated Hodgkin was called to a woman's home in the area of Adelaide and Ada streets area requesting help.

Moments later, Hodgkin used a lawnmover to move a barrel which contained Norton’s body. It was eventually dumped in a ravine along the nearby Thames River.

Weeks later Hodgkin would be arrested and charged, and in May of this year he pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact.

During his sentencing hearing, Justice Kelly Tranquilli told the court that Norton, “Had been hogtied, there was blunt force trauma to his head and a stab wound to the chest.”

She called it a “violent and senseless death.”

Four others have been arrested in connection with the homicide case. One has been dealt with but three others remain before the court.

During the hearing the court heard that Hodgkin has a lengthy criminal record dating back 38 years and that for a decade and a half he’s been addicted to drugs.

He told the judge however that he’s trying to get clean and is getting counselling.

The Crown asked that Hodgkin be sentenced to five years, with the defence requesting three.

On Friday, Tranquilli sentenced him to four and a half years. With credit for time served Hodgkin will have 16 months remaining in jail.

“He [Hodgkin] may not have known the plan to kill Mr. Norton but he did know his friend’s body was in the barrel like a piece of garbage,” Tranquilli told him.

Hodgkin has been remorseful for what he did and said it was “The dumbest thing I’ve done in my life.”