ERNEST NORTON

ERNEST NORTON WAS KILLED BY CHILDREN

ERNEST NORTON WAS KILLED AS HE PLAYED CRICKET WITH HIS SON

Five boys as young as 10 stoned to death a man playing cricket with his son, the Old Bailey heard today. They were part of a gang that launched the assault that triggered a heart attack in 67-year-old Ernest Norton, the jury was told. It was an "unnecessary, pointless and random attack" on a Sunday afternoon at Erith leisure centre, Kent, the court heard. The gang shouted abuse at Mr Norton as he played cricket with son James, 17 on the outside tennis courts. When Mr Norton objected they bombarded him with rocks and wood. Hit at least twice, he collapsed and died. "The defendants' youth is no defence,î said David Fisher QC, prosecuting. "They were jointly responsible for this attack and jointly responsible for the death." The five defendants, all from Erith, sat in the dock with their parents. None has any previous convictions or police cautions. They cannot be identified because of their age. The youngest, 10 when Mr Norton died in February last year, is now 12. The oldest was 13 and is now 14. The group, with up to 15 members, had shouted that James was "a rubbish bowler" and told his father to "go back to your old people's home", the jury was told. Mr Norton warned the gang to "p*** off" and the bombardment began, the court heard; he walked forward but was felled by a blow to his left temple which fractured his jaw. The 12-year-old boy who allegedly threw the stone "stood there and laughed" then ran off, a 13-year-old girl witness told police. The boy, now aged 14, is said to have shouted at Mr Norton, "I'm going to knock you out," calling him a "no-tooth c***". One witness said the stone was as big as "half a brick", the court heard. Some of the throwers were allegedly part of a gang known as The New Estate. A neighbouring householder saw the gang throwing missiles towards the courts, the jury heard. "She then heard one of the group shout, 'Oh, no!' and they ran away," said Mr Fisher. "As the boys ran past her house she heard one say, 'He's dead, he's dead.' He was panicking." Another witness heard one of the boys say: "Did you get him?" and others reply: "Yeah, I think so," "Yeah, I got a shot," and "I think I got him with one." Mr Norton, who lived with wife Linda in Erith, had undergone a triple heart by-pass 29 years earlier but was active and healthy, said Mr Fisher. "The stress and trauma of abuse and a physical attack would make him vulnerable to a heart attack," he added. James ran for help and an off-duty police officer found Mr Norton unconscious in a pool of blood. He was pronounced dead by a doctor who had arrived with a helicopter medical team. Mr Fisher warned the jury to set aside any sympathy for the young boys in the dock. "Their youth is no defence," he said. "They were quite old enough to know that to abuse Mr Norton and his son was wrong and that to throw stones and pieces of wood at them was wrong... but it was their course of conduct, quite probably with others, that caused his death." The five youths all deny manslaughter and violent disorder. The case continues. ERNEST NORTON A schoolboy saw a gang of children throwing stones just seconds before father Ernest Norton was hit, the Old Bailey has heard. Mr Norton, 67, collapsed and died from a heart attack after he was pelted with stones, sticks and lumps of wood. The father of two was hit at least twice on the head as he confronted the youths who shouted abuse as he played cricket with his son. Five boys, then aged between 10 and 13, are on trial accused of manslaughter and violent disorder. An 11-year-old boy told the court he saw the mob of youngsters, then aged between 10 and 13, hurling missiles as he "played wrestling" with his pals. The next time he looked back he was told by a passer-by "some silly boys started throwing stones at a man and hit him on the head". The gang had been thrown out of Erith leisure centre, Kent, for their "mischievous and mouthy" behaviour, jurors have heard. On leaving they started chucking stones at the walls before heading off towards the tennis court where Mr Norton and son James, 17, were playing cricket, the court heard. The witness, who is too young to be named, gave evidence in a recorded police interview and answered questions via a videolink. He said: "I saw the person telling them to go. All I saw was they were throwing stones at the leisure centre and then moving on to the edge of the tennis court. "We did see boys throwing stuff at it, but I didn't see them throwing stuff at the man." As the 11-year-old and his friends continued to wrestle nearby, the boy spotted an ambulance, rapid response paramedic car and then an air ambulance arriving at the courts. He said: "A man came up to me and said 'don't go over there, some idiot started throwing stones at a man and one hit him on the head'. "We stayed there and he went to get an ambulance." He continued: "I saw him lying on the floor. I could see blood on the side of his head then the man said some silly boys had been throwing stone." The witness admitted he never saw stones being thrown at Mr Norton, but did see the group gather at the corner of the tennis court. He said the boys had all gone by the time he got down to the scene and saw the victim on the ground. The boy later told police he recognised at least two of the "geezers" by name and several others by appearance. Mr Norton, a retired engineering draughtsman, had gone to the leisure centre with his son and wife Linda, who went to the gym, on February 26 last year. He was repeatedly abused by a gang of jeering children who told him: "Go back to your old people's home," and branded his son a "rubbish bowler". One of the boys was heard to say: "I'm going to knock you out," before hitting him with a "half-brick" sized stone. As they fled they shouted "he's dead, he's dead," and another was overheard saying "I got him with one." Some of the gang were part of a gang known as The New Estate. "Fit and healthy" Mr Norton collapsed from a head wound and died of a heart attack brought on by the stress of the assault, the jury has heard. Five schoolboys from Erith, then aged between 10 and 13 and now aged between 12 and 14, are charged with manslaughter and violent disorder. They are too young to be named and are sat in the dock alongside their parents. The trial continues.Ernest Norton