Three U.K. men plead guilty in death of Owen Sound, Ont., restaurant owner

Three men from the United Kingdom accused in the 2023 death of an Ontario restaurant owner have pleaded guilty after they were extradited to Canada last year to face their charges.

The men, who are from the same family, were charged in the death of 44-year-old Sharif Rahman, who was assaulted in August 2023 outside his Owen Sound, Ont., restaurant. Rahman died in hospital one week later.

Robert Evans was charged with manslaughter, while his father, Robert Busby Evans and uncle, Barry Evans, were each charged with being an accessory after the fact to commit an indictable offence.

An agreed statement of facts says the men came to Canada on U.K. passports in 2023, and the younger Robert Evans was with a group of people at The Curry House restaurant in Owen Sound the night of Aug. 17 when there was a dispute with Rahman over an unpaid bill.

The statement of facts says Evans punched Rahman in the face outside the building, and Rahman fell and struck his head on the sidewalk, causing fatal injuries.

It further says Evans’s father and uncle helped him return to the U.K., and all three were later arrested and extradited back to Canada last December.

The three men appeared in an Owen Sound court on Friday and pleaded guilty to their charges.

The 25-year-old Robert Evans is due to be sentenced in July, while his father and uncle are expected to be sentenced later Friday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2026.

The Canadian Press