Full Breakdown
British Family Pleads Guilty in Death of Ontario Restaurant Owner
6/7/2026, 4:52:01 AM
Fatal Altercation and Guilty Pleas
In August 2023, Sharif Rahman, 44, Bangladeshi-born owner of The Curry House in Owen Sound, Ontario, was struck outside his restaurant during a dispute over an unpaid bill reported as CAD 150 (?£79). He died a week later from a skull fracture and brain bleed. On 23 May 2024, three British men—nephew Robert Evans Jr (25), his father Robert Busby Evans (49), and uncle Barry Evans (56)—entered guilty pleas in the Ontario Court of Justice; Evans Jr pleaded to manslaughter, the two elders to accessory after the fact. The family had left Canada on tourist visas shortly after the incident, were arrested in Scotland in 2024, and consented to extradition in Edinburgh.
Key Figures & Groups
- Sharif Rahman – restaurant owner, husband, father.
- Robert Evans Jr – nephew, manslaughter defendant.
- Robert Busby Evans – father, accessory defendant.
- Barry Evans – uncle, accessory defendant.
- Justice Christopher Chorney – presiding judge.
- Mayor Ian Boddy – mayor of Owen Sound.
Timeline
- 17 Aug 2023: Altercation outside The Curry House.
- 24 Aug 2023: Rahman dies in hospital.
- Oct 2023: Evans family flees Canada; later arrested in Scotland.
- 23 May 2024: Guilty pleas entered in Ontario; father and uncle received 21-month sentences credited with time served; sentencing for Evans Jr set for 10 July 2024.
Official Statements & Responses
Mayor Boddy called Rahman “a wonderful, warm man” and welcomed the court’s resolution. Justice Chorney said the Evanses’ rapid departure showed they understood the seriousness of the offence. Defence lawyer Sarah Loosemore maintained that the case should be tried in Canada, a view the court accepted.
Criticism & Opposition
Local resident Mehreen Ahmad argued that the 21-month sentences for the father and uncle were too short to reflect the gravity of the crime and to provide adequate rehabilitation.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Sources list different ages for the Evanses (some say 47/54, others 49/56), report the unpaid bill as CAD 150, CAD 145.43 or £79, and recommend varying sentences for Evans Jr (42 months, 41 months or 3½ years). No source gives a precise timeline of the strike.
Verbatim Quotes
- “He was very calm, gentle, just a beautiful human being who everybody liked, so it was a real shock to the community when it happened.” — Mayor Ian Boddy
- “I think about it every night. I'm sickened by the damage that I've caused,” — Robert Evans Jr
- “gave to their nephew and son, respectively, to escape from the immediate area and then the country is very serious.” — Justice Christopher Chorney
- “run, run” — Barry Evans (as reported)
What’s Next
Evans Jr’s sentencing on 10 July 2024 will decide whether the joint 42-month recommendation is applied. After sentencing, his father and uncle will be transferred to the Canada Border Services Agency for deportation to the United Kingdom.
