Tues Oct 21 – Owen Sound & Area News

Local news updates involving the Sharif Rahman case and Evans' extraditions, Grey Bruce Public Health, Owen Sound Police, Cobble beach Concours d'Elegance, Canadian Cancer Society, and more

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Today’s featured photo comes to you from Edinburgh, where the wheels of justice lurched forward in a big way yesterday morning.

As we reported, the three men wanted in Canada to face charges connected with Sharif Rahman’s homicide — Robert Evans, 25, for manslaughter and his father and uncle, Robert Busby Evans and Barry Evans, as accessories after the fact — suddenly dropped their fight and consented to extradition.

The judge in this case, Sheriff Julius Komorowski, has been diligent throughout the preliminary hearings in ensuring his ‘i’s were dotted and ‘t’s crossed, so to speak. Appeals are won on mistakes made in court. The judge seemed careful about ensuring each decision, requirement, or concern was seen through to its end and buttoned up before proceeding.

And so when each of the three men came before him yesterday, Komorowski had them sign the consent form, then also listen as it was read aloud. He verified their understanding of its contents and had them verbally agree to the waivers.

Komorowski questioned each of the Evans men in turn, asking them to confirm their understanding: that there will be no more hearings in Scotland, and they have waived their right to appeal the extradition process.

“You understand that you are going to Canada?” he asked.

They agreed.

Why they stopped fighting and agreed to be extradited was not revealed, and their family members and legal team refused to comment outside the courtroom.

We were not given a timeline for the next steps. The extradition request, now uncontested, will be submitted to the Scottish Ministers (the government of Scotland). They are under no obligation to announce that information when their decision is made.

In the extradition case of the notorious sex offender Nicholas Rossi, wanted in the USA to stand charges for his crime, it took an FOI request for journalists to confirm that part of the process had been completed. It’s not unusual for this next step to happen quietly.

After months of legal wrangling over prison conditions in Ontario and whether there are equivalent charges in Scotland, this hearing was over in less than 20 minutes.

It can be incredibly difficult to keep faith in a judicial process, particularly when it’s happening an ocean away, in a foreign system with unfamiliar players and processes.

But you have good reason to be hopeful today. This development signals that the accused, having spent 14 months (Roberts Jr. and Sr.) and 12 months (Barry) in prison so far, also have an interest in moving this forward without delay.

When we learn of a trial date in Ontario, you will be the first to know.

~ Miranda Miller, Editor

Public Notices

• Temporary 2nd Avenue E Closures for Seasonal Cross-Street Lighting Installation - City of Owen Sound

• GBPH is encouraging residents to protect themselves from respiratory viruses this fall - Grey Bruce Public Health

Keep reading for local news, including an update from Owen Sound Police about how recently announced grant funding is being put to work in the community, fundraising results from this year’s Concours d’Elegance and a look ahead at what Rob McLeese has planned next, a notice about fundraising canvassing in local neighbourhoods, and a lot more.

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