Three men in Scotland have consented to be transferred to face charges concerning the death of Owen Sound restaurant owner Sharif Rahman more than two years ago
The three men consented in Edinburgh Sheriff Court Monday morning to Canadian authorities’ request to bring them to trial in Canada.
The case will now be forwarded to the Scottish Ministers to determine if all three should be extradited. The cabinet secretary for justice usually makes the decision and has two months to make it.
While they consented to be extradited, following the Scottish Ministers’ decision, the accused men could still appeal to the High Court of Justiciary.
Robert Evans Jr., 24, is charged with manslaughter, while his father, Robert Busby Evans Sr., 48, and uncle, Barry Evans, 55, are each charged with accessory after the fact to commit an indictable offence. All ages are as provided at the time they were charged. The charges themselves have not been tested in court.
Rahman was 44, married and had a young daughter when assaulted outside his downtown Owen Sound restaurant, The Curry House, on Aug. 17, 2023. He died a week later in a London, Ont., hospital.
The trial is expected to be held in Owen Sound and the trio will be eligible to have a preliminary hearing and election as to whether they’ll be tried in the Ontario Court of Justice or the Superior Court of Justice.
Edinburgh Sheriff Julius Komorowski during the extradition process wrote that it’s alleged Robert Evans Jr. punched the victim outside his restaurant, where Evans, his brother and his uncle Barry Evans had just had a meal. Barry Evans was near when Robert Evans Jr. struck the victim, it is alleged. Police were dispatched to an “ongoing assault.”
It is alleged that Robert Evans Jr. ran from the scene until Barry Evans drove toward him, sounded the horn and shouted “run, run,” then allowed him to get in his car. He’s said to have driven them to another town 40 miles away, not to accommodations Barry Evans had booked.
After several phone calls that evening, Robert Busby Evans “became aware at least that his son Robert Evans had punched someone,” the judge’s recitation of alleged actions said. Robert Busby Evans is alleged to have booked a flight for his son to the United Kingdom, driven him to the airport and Robert Evans Jr. flew out of Canada that evening, the judge wrote.
Barry Evans retrieved his deposit and driver’s licence and removed his guest registration containing his name, signature and car registration, from the accommodations he booked, the judge’s summary of allegations said.
Rahman grew up in Bangladesh, studied economics there, then obtained a master’s degree in international development at the University of Glasgow. He bought his restaurant, The Curry House, in 2015, where he held fundraising dinners for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank.
