3 Scottish men plead guilty in death of Ontario restaurant owner

Unmasking the suspects in robert owen go eating place possessor’s death | Exclusive

Police read statement from wife of slain eatery owner

Owen Sound residents mourn death of popular restaurant owner

All three men are pleading guilty as charged.

Justice Chorney has entered the courtroom and we're underway. All three accused were brought in together. They've been led to a separate seating area surrounded by a glass barrier. Each of the men facing charges has their own lawyer.

Lawyers for all three accused and the Crown are here in the courtroom. We expect to get started soon. The judge has not yet entered the courtroom.

Justice Christopher Chorney will be presiding over this resolution hearing. You can read his bio information here. He was appointed to the Ontario Court of Justice in October 2024.

Sharif Rahman died after an incident on Aug. 17, 2023, outside his restaurant, The Curry House, located in downtown Owen Sound. According to police, there was a confrontation outside the restaurant about an unpaid bill. Rahman was punched, struck his head on the sidewalk and died a week later in a London, Ont., hospital. 

If there is a resolution to this case today as we're expecting, it's likely that an agreed statement of facts will be read into evidence. There may also be statements from the men charged and from friends and family members of the victim, but we won't know until the proceedings begin.

Today's proceeding is referred to as a resolution hearing. We're expecting that the Crown and defence have arrived at a resolution to these charges, possibly involving a plea deal. As a reminder: Robert Evans Jr. Faces manslaughter, the most serious charge. His father, Robert Busby Evans, and his uncle, Barry Evans, are charged with accessories after the fact. 

Manslaughter sentencing parameters are wide. Technically up to life imprisonment is possible, but, typically, sentences are much shorter and often fall within the range of one to 15 years. 

There are a number of factors that go into a manslaughter sentence. The accused can get credit for time served, but other factors considered include the accused's criminal history, the level of violence involved, whether a weapon was used and whether the accused expresses remorse. 

In the months after Rahman's killing there were a lot of questions about the progress of the police investigation. The arrests weren't announced until December 2024, but they happened months before, in Edinburgh. 

Boddy said there were good reasons for how the investigation unfolded.

"All the police work was really good and it was done very quickly," he told me. "It was just that it couldn't be announced. And they didn't make public announcements until they were sure that they were ready to. It was done for a reason to protect the integrity of the information that they had gathered."

The death of Rahman was a huge blow to Owen Sound, a town of 24,000 people located on Georgian Bay at the base of the Bruce Peninsula. People in town lined the streets as his funeral was held. 

I spoke to Mayor Ian Boddy, who knew Rahman well, on Thursday. "He was a very respected, very gentle, very nice, nice guy," said Boddy. "Always had a smile on his face."

Rahman was born in Bangladesh and worked long hours at the restaurant. He was also a father of a young girl. Boddy said Rahman's wife Shayela Nasrin continues to run The Curry House.

Unmasking the suspects in Owen Sound restaurant owner’s death | Exclusive

Robert Evans Jr., 25, is charged with manslaughter. His father, Robert Busby Evans, 47, and his uncle, Barry Evans, 54, are charged with being accessories after the fact.

Police have said Robert Evans Jr. Punched Rahman outside the restaurant, causing him to strike his head on the sidewalk and suffer injuries he never recovered from.

It's not certain exactly what form the resolution to this case will take today. The men consented to their extradition in October 2025, after initially indicating they would contest their removal to Canada.

A publication ban remains in effect regarding evidence and submissions from earlier bail proceedings.

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