Robert Evans Jr pleaded guilty on Friday to manslaughter in the death of Sharif Rahman in Owen Sound, Ontario, after a row over an unpaid restaurant bill. The case now moves to sentencing next month, while Robert Busby Evans and Barry Evans have already been sentenced to time already served.
Owen Sound Bill Dispute
Rahman died in August 2023 after an argument over an unpaid $150 bill at a curry house in Owen Sound. The alleged fight took place in the street outside the restaurant, and Rahman was found there by a staff member before later dying in hospital in London, Ontario, about 118 miles (190km) away.
The three men are believed to be from Manchester and were reportedly in Canada on holiday visas at the time. Canadian media outlets reported that they left a short time after the altercation, and more than a year later Robert Evans Jr and his father were arrested by Police Scotland in Edinburgh while his uncle was arrested in Dalkeith.
Extradition From Scotland
All three men gave their consent to extradition at separate hearings last October before Sheriff Julius Komorowski at Edinburgh Sheriff Court. Defence agent Sarah Loosemore said Robert Busby Evans had decided that “it would be appropriate for these matters to be dealt with under the Canadian justice system”.
The three men were extradited to Canada from Scotland last year. Local police said the two older men were taken into the custody of the Canadian Border Agency for repatriation, and their cases have now moved further than Robert Evans Jr’s, who remains due back before court next month for sentencing.
Canada Court Outcome
Robert Busby Evans pleaded guilty to being an accessory to the crime, and Barry Evans pleaded guilty to being an accessory to the crime. Both received time already served, leaving Robert Evans Jr as the last of the three to reach sentencing in the Canadian court process.
Rahman’s death, the later arrests in Scotland, and the plea entered on Friday show how a dispute that began over a restaurant bill in Owen Sound has ended in Canadian criminal court rather than as a case left in the background after travel and extradition. Next month’s sentence will set the final penalty for Robert Evans Jr in the death of the restaurant owner.
