One Accused of Accessory in Sharif Rahman Case Expected to Plead Guilty in June
Robert Busby Evans, one of three men charged in connection with Sharif Rahman’s death in 2023, is expected to plead guilty June 5 in Owen Sound court.
One of the men charged in connection with the fatal assault of Owen Sound restaurant owner Sharif Rahman is expected to plead guilty next month and may be in what the Crown described as a “time served position.”
Robert Busby Evans Sr., who has also been identified in court and on a passport as Justin Jones, appeared briefly in Ontario Court of Justice in Owen Sound on Tuesday morning by video from custody.
Duty counsel A. Bernard appeared on Evans’ behalf and told the court he should have had legal representation, but lawyer Katie Scott was not present.
Evans told the court he had spoken with his lawyer the day before.
“I spoke with my lawyer yesterday; she came in to see me,” Evans said.
He told the court he believed the matter would be adjourned until June 5 for an in-person appearance.
Assistant Crown Attorney confirmed the June 5 date had been set as a “resolution date” for a guilty plea.
A plea hearing is now scheduled for June 5 at 10 a.m. in Owen Sound.
None of the allegations have been proven in court, and no guilty plea has yet been entered.
The trial coordinator noted the date falls on a Friday and asked whether it had been properly canvassed through the criminal co-ordination office.
The Crown, reviewing notes from Assistant Crown Attorney Patrick Clements, said a judicial pre-trial was held April 24. During that confidential discussion between Crown and defence, it was indicated Evans would be in a “time served position” by June 5, which is why that date was selected.
Evans is one of three people charged in relation to the fatal assault on Rahman outside The Curry House in downtown Owen Sound in August 2023. Rahman died in hospital days after the assault, sparking widespread public outcry and calls for justice.
Charges against the accused have been making their way through the court system since.
Evans Sr. was charged alongside his son, Robert Evans Jr., who is accused of throwing the fatal punch.
The dispute is reported to have arisen from an unpaid dinner bill in Rahman’s restaurant. At least three men — Barry Evans, Robert Evans Jr., and a brother (who was not charged in this case), are alleged to have dined at The Curry House late the evening of August 17, 2023, and refused to pay their bill.
After Rahman pursued the men out his front door, Evans Jr. allegedly punched the restaurateur with such force that his head struck the ground. A witness described the sound as being like “a bowling ball hitting the pavement.”
Evans Sr. is believed to have been at a nearby hotel while the incident took place. Cell phone records presented in a Scottish court during extradition proceedings indicate there was a “flurry” of activity immediately following the assault as all three men who had been at The Curry House contacted Robert Busby Evans Sr.
Police allege he was picked up by the group after they fled downtown and that they then drove to Collingwood.
The family and at least one other man from the United Kingdom are believed to be Irish Travelers who came to Canada on tourism visas — two with passports issued in other names — and worked for a company called Total Paving through the summer of 2023.
Witness accounts suggest that the men completed at least four paving jobs in Wiarton, north of Owen Sound, the week before the assault.
Evans Sr. is charged with accessory after the fact for allegedly planning his son’s flight back to the United Kingdom and arranging his transport to Pearson International Airport on August 18, 2023. According to police affidavits filed during extradition proceedings, he told a worker at their job site that his son Robert Jr. had to return home day following the assault.
Evans Sr.’s brother Barry Evans, uncle to Robert Evans Jr., is also charged with accessory after the fact. He is alleged to have returned to the Travelodge in Owen Sound twice: first to pick up the group’s cash deposit, and the second time to pick up his ID and registration information.
At his last court appearance on April 22, counsel for Barry Evans indicated his JPT was also scheduled for April 24. The outcome of that discussion is scheduled to come to court at Barry’s next appearance on May 6.
A third JPT on April 24 was to involve Robert Evans Jr., who is charged with manslaughter. He last appeared in court on April 2 and is scheduled to return this Thursday by video.
Busby Evans Sr.’s June 5 appearance could mark the first guilty plea in the case stemming from Rahman’s death, nearly three years after the fatal assault outside his downtown Owen Sound restaurant.
Related:
Three Accused in Sharif Rahman Homicide Case Returned to Owen Sound After Extradition from Scotland
