A key witness in the murder trial of six men accused in the shooting deaths of eight Bandidos members in southwestern Ontario three years ago described tensions and power struggles between the organization's rival chapters in the months leading to the slayings.

Police officers conduct a sweep of the area near where eight bodies were found near Shedden, Ont., on April 8, 2006. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)

The witness is a former Bandidos member turned police informant who can only identified as M.H. because his identity is protected.

His long-awaited appearance in a London, Ont., courtroom on Tuesday came after a series of delays in the trial of the six accused, who have all pleaded not guilty to eight counts of first-degree murder.

During his questioning by assistant Crown attorney Tim Zuber, M.H. described how he led a seemingly normal existence in Winnipeg.

He said he worked various construction jobs and was a father of three children. At the same time, however, he dealt drugs and was convicted for selling cocaine.

The witness said he got involved with the Bandidos in the summer of 2005. The club, he told the court, was offering a brotherhood and a chance to ride with friends, even though he didn't actually own a motorcycle.

M.H. testified he soon noticed tension with the Winnipeg chapter's sponsor, the Toronto club, which wasn't allowing the Winnipeg group to become a full-fledged Bandidos chapter.

The accused men sat across from M.H. during his testimony and at times glared icily at their former comrade, the CBC's Derek Stoffel reported from the courthouse.

The eight bodies were found on April 8, 2006 stuffed in several cars that had been abandoned not far from the southwestern Ontario community of Shedden. Each victim was a Bandidos member or associate and had been shot in the head execution-style.

The Crown alleges the eight men, all from the Toronto area, were killed as part of an internal cleansing of the club.

M.H. is expected to testify that he was at the nearby farm of one of the accused, Wayne Kellestine, on the night of the slayings.

The trial, being heard by Ontario Superior Court Justice Thomas Heeney, is expected to hear testimony from the witness for several days.