UK man pleads guilty to manslaughter Friday, accessories sentenced

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Three men who were brought to Canada from Scotland to face charges in the death of beloved Owen Sound resident Sharif Rahman almost three years ago pleaded guilty Friday.

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Robert Evans Jr., 25, also known as Michael Jones,of Darwen Lancashire, England, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the Ontario Court of Justice in Owen Sound Friday. He will be sentenced July 10 to a sentence the judge indicated would be in keeping with a joint submission involving all three.

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That would leave Evans Jr. with eight months remaining on a 42-month sentence, said the Crown who described the jointly recommended sentence. Evans Jr. was credited with 34 months presentence custody, the Crown said. Presentence custody — both in Scotland and Canada — was credited at time-and-a-half.

Ontario Court Justice Christopher Chorney said that if he intended to interfere with the joint submission, he would have asked for submissions from Evans Jr.’s lawyer. But he said he wanted time to prepare his decision to make sure he delivers the right message to Evans and to the community at large.

The pleas come in a case that mobilized the community in a shared sense of grief and outrage at the loss of the 44-year-old husband, father and community-minded citizen.

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Rahman owned The Curry House in downtown Owen Sound. He died on Aug. 24, 2023 after spending a week on life-support in a London, Ont. hospital. He was assaulted outside his restaurant on the night of Aug. 17, 2023.

Evans Jr. admitted he punched Rahman once in the face, causing him to fall back and strike his head on the sidewalk. That fractured his skull, caused a brain bleed and this ultimately led to his death Aug. 24, 2023 in a London, Ont. hospital, a post-mortem exam determined, according to agreed facts.

Grey County Crown attorney Patrick Clement called it a “true one punch manslaughter” in the sense that the punch itself didn’t cause Rahman’s death but rather the resulting fall to the sidewalk did.

The plea deal reflected triable issues of self-defence for Evans Jr. It also reflected the “dine and dash” crime, that they didn’t stop to help Rahman but fled instead, and the “profound loss” of Rahman to his wife and child. Clement offered thanks to the community for its support of Rahman’s wife and young daughter.

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Justice Chorney accepted the sentence recommended by Crown and defence lawyers for Evans Jr.’s father, Robert Busby Evans, 49, who is also known as Justin Jones, of Darwen Lancashire, England, and his uncle, Barry Evans, 55, of West Yorkshire, England.

Both pleaded guilty to being accessories after the fact in the Aug. 17, 2023 confrontation with Rahman and were sentenced to the equivalent of 21 months time served plus one day, deemed served.

They spent more time than that in custody, the judge noted, and he found their sentence accords with similar cases of accessory after the fact involving a homicide. They helped Evans Jr. get away, which Chorney called “very serious.”

As of Friday, Evans Jr. and Evans Sr. had accumulated 676 days of pretrial custody, which when enhanced amounted to 1,014 days or 34 months. Barry Evans accumulated 590 days or 885 days enhanced, representing 30 months, the Crown calculated.

The fact they left the country so quickly but before Rahman died reinforced how aware they were of the serious nature of their offence, Chorney said. He also imposed a DNA order and a 10-year firearms and weapons ban.

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There is an immigration hold on them and the Canada Border Security Agency was to take custody of them, Clement told the court.

Media were waiting with cameras for the Evanses as the prisoner van pulled into the Owen Sound courthouse parking lot and backed into the sally port, out of sight Friday morning. Rahman’s family did not attend but his wife provided an impact statement for the court.

The Crown presented an agreed statement of facts supporting the charges, including the moments leading up to Evans Jr.’s assault on Rahman.

Evans Jr. and his father, Robert Busby Evans, entered Canada with valid United Kingdom passports on June 4, 2023, using their aliases. Barry Evans arrived on a valid passport June 17 to Toronto’s Pearson airport.

While in the Wiarton/Owen Sound area they paved driveways for cash. One man they worked with was truck driver Manjot Singh, who had their contact information and would later provide it to police, Clement said.

On Aug. 17, Barry Evans and another person booked two rooms in the Travelodge motel in Owen Sound. They and Robert Evans Jr. went to The Curry House restaurant about 8:30 p.m. Rahman and employee Adnan Hussain were the only ones there.

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Robert and Barry Evans and a male youth ordered $145 worth of food and drinks. They ate, then Evans Jr. went outside for a smoke. Some time later, Barry Evans and the other person left the restaurant without paying, Clement said.

Rahman confronted them outside of his restaurant and Evans Jr. realized the pair hadn’t paid for their meal and so they tried to get away. “Sharif Rahman demanded his money,” and pushed Evans Jr. twice and stood in front of them to try to prevent them from leaving, Clement said, reading from agreed facts. Rahman was holding onto him with one hand.

“Sharif Rahman was yelling at Robert Evans about the money he was owed,” Clement said. Hussain came outside, then Evans Jr. “punched Sharifur Rahman in the face, which caused the victim to immediately fall backwards, where he struck the back of his head” on the sidewalk.

Evans Jr. ran but Hussain chased and tackled him. They scuffled before the men got away and Hussain returned to call 911. Owen Sound police were dispatched to the restaurant at 9:53 p.m.

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Robert Evans Jr. and the male youth ran south on 2nd Avenue East, jumped in a Grey Ford Escape driven by Barry Evans and were taken to Collingwood. Days later, Barry Evans returned to the Travelodge obtained their registration document to cover their tracks.

Robert Busby Evans, Evans Jr.’s father, arranged for Singh, the truck driver, to buy a plane ticket to London, England, then take him to the airport. Evans Jr. shaved off his moustache and beard to change his appearance. Barry Evans left the same day. Robert Busby Evans returned Aug. 27 to Manchester, UK.

Clement said Singh identified who fled the scene of the confrontation and with the help of police in the UK, each was arrested. They consented to a Canadian extradition request Oct. 20, 2025.

All three Evanses sat in street clothes in the prisoners’ box and in turn each apologized.

Evans Jr. said he knew Rahman was a good man and a family man. He said this never should have happened. He said there were so many things he could have done differently that night.

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He said he prays for Rahman’s family every day. He said sorry to the community about Rahman, whom he knows was loved and respected. He said he was “truly, truly sorry.”

Evans Jr. has a minor criminal record in the UK for possession of an imitation firearm and battery, the Crown said. His lawyer said Evans Jr. was a landscaper, gardener and father with his own four-year-old daughter.

Busby Evans Sr., who wasn’t at the restaurant at the time of the assault, said he raised his son Robert to be a role model for his siblings and to be respectful of everyone, he said, underscoring that point.

He said he believes “accidents happen” and that it was an absolute shame. He said they all have broken hearts.

Evans Sr. has a criminal record in the UK, Switzerland and Estonia for property, disobey court order and driving and minor drug offences but none involving violence, the Crown said.

His lawyer said Evans Sr. is a father and grandfather. Has five kids aged 9 to 26. He’s the sole support for his family and he’d done so through manual labour including landscaping. He holds Christian faith.

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Barry Evans’s lawyer read a statement her client dictated. He can’t read or write and so he couldn’t deliver it himself, she said. He said he’s experienced “a living nightmare” that haunts him every day. He credited Rahman for being a family man and understands his loss will be felt by his wife and child for a lifetime.

He apologized to the Rahman family and to the community. He said he was “sorry and saddened” about how the night ended. It’s something he’ll never forget and he’ll be “forever sorry” for his role.

He has a criminal record in the UK for property, disobey court order and driving offences but no offences for violence, the Crown said. His lawyer said he’s worked on farms and on construction. His mother-in-law died recently and he want to return home to pay his respects.

Shortly after Rahman’s death, there were marches and a vigil. Many stood at the roadside along parts of the funeral procession route from the mosque to the cemetery.

His death catalyzed action amid growing concerns about safety downtown amid Owen Sound’s visible drug and homelessness crisis. City council installed municipal surveillance cameras in the core as a result.

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An oak tree was planted and a scholarship was created in Rahman’s name. He was recognized posthumously as the recipient of the 2023 YMCA Peace medal for his exceptional contributions to peace building within the community and beyond.

A GoFundMe started for the family raised $250,000 from more than 3,000 individual donations.

Rahman’s wife, Shayela Nasrin, continues to run The Curry House and has spoken at events honouring her husband, sometimes accompanied by their young daughter.

Rahman grew up in Bangladesh, where he studied economics before obtaining a masters degree in international development at the University of Glasgow. He moved Canada in 2013 and purchased his restaurant 2015.

He became involved in the community, holding fundraisers and participating in city and county committees.

Owen Sound police and the OPP kept details of their joint homicide investigation to themselves, until announcing in August 2024 they’d made arrests the month before. It wasn’t until that December at a news conference that they named suspects and provided their charges.

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The father and son were arrested July 29, 2024 and younger Evans’s uncle was arrested Oct. 29, 2024, Det.-Insp. Jane Conway told reporters at the news briefing. They’ve been in custody since their arrest.

Conway said at the news briefing there were more than 100 tips, which were “invaluable,” she said. She said the investigation “has been complex and involved a co-ordinated effort involving many agencies, partners and units.”

The extradition process took until last October. Members of the community expressed relief that the Evanses were coming back to Canada to face their charges in Rahman’s death more than two years earlier.

Given the grainy surveillance camera stills of the backs of two suspects who appeared to be fleeing, and of a blurry car, the chances of police identifying the suspects had seemed slim.

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