Two Men Sentenced to 21 Months for Accessory After the Fact in Sharif Rahman's Death
Robert Busby Evans Sr. and Barry Evans were sentenced Friday afternoon for their roles in the 2023 death of Owen Sound restaurateur Sharif Rahman.
Robert Busby Evans Sr. and Barry Evans were sentenced to 21 months each on Friday afternoon for their roles in the 2023 death of Owen Sound restaurateur Sharif Rahman. As they received credit for time served in Scotland and Canada, the two will serve one more day, during which it’s expected they’ll be transferred to the custody of the CBSA.
The men were also ordered to provide a DNA sample and handed a 10-year weapons ban. The two men had plead guilty to accessory after the fact to manslaughter earlier in the day.
Robert Evans Jr., 25, pled guilty to manslaughter and will be sentenced on July 10, 2026. The Crown and defence jointly recommended a 42-month sentence in his case. With enhanced credit for time served in Canada and his imprisonment in Scotland during extradition proceedings, Evans Jr. is considered to have served 36 months, leaving 8 more they’d like to see him serve.
Busby Evans Sr., 49, is Evans Jr.’s father and Barry Evans, 55, his uncle. The two older men admitted helping Evans Jr. evade detection and leave the country after Rahman was killed; neither was charged with causing the death. Accessory after the fact to manslaughter carries a maximum of 14 years and no mandatory minimum.
Rahman, 44, owner of The Curry House, was assaulted outside his restaurant on 2nd Avenue East in downtown Owen Sound shortly after 9 p.m. on Aug. 17, 2023, following a dispute over a bill. He suffered critical head injuries, was taken to a trauma centre in London, Ont., and died there a week later, on Aug. 24, 2023. Police deemed his death a homicide.
Busby Evans Sr. had been in custody since his July 30, 2024 arrest in Edinburgh and Barry Evans since his Oct. 29, 2024 arrest in Dalkeith, Scotland — about 22 and 19 months respectively by Friday. Both were held in Scotland through extradition proceedings, then consented to return and were brought to Canada on Dec. 11, 2025.
They were transported to Owen Sound for Friday’s hearing from the Central North Correctional Centre in Penetanguishene. Defence counsel had asked the court to credit that time at 1.5 days for each day served, including the months spent in Scottish custody.
Evans Jr. read a statement expressing remorse for his part in the tragedy to the court. Busby Evans and Barry Evans also submitted statements that were read aloud by their respective counsels.
Three Guilty Pleas Entered in Sharif Rahman Case; Robert Evans Jr. Arraigned for Sentencing
The three U.K. men charged in the 2023 homicide of Sharif Rahman pled guilty in the Ontario Court of Justice in Owen Sound this morning. Justice C. Chorney accepted their pleas and heard arguments — and statements of apology — before remanding Robert Evans Jr. (also known as Michael Jones), 25, back into custody until July 10 for sentencing.
In urging leniency, Busby Evans Sr.’s lawyer noted he has five children and a longtime partner waiting in Manchester, and that the loss cut both ways. “This is also not lost on Mr. Evans,” she told the court, “as the deceased also has a daughter who will not see her father for the rest of her life.”
As the hearing turned to what time served would mean in practice, Justice C. Chorney put the question directly: “Essentially you’re asking for time served, what do you expect to happen?” Clement replied, “CBSA is on its way; there’s an immigration hold.”
Both men are UK citizens, and removal from Canada is a separate process handled by immigration authorities, not the sentencing court.
Owen Sound Current asked Tania Bariteau, counsel for Barry Evans, outside the courtroom whether they expected there would be questions from Canadian Immigration officials about his visa status as to whether they were working on tourist visas — she said at least in the case of Barry Evans he had a 5-year working visa and was in the country legally.
The expectation then would be that he’ll attend an immigration hearing and be deported. She indicated that Barry Evans would like to be reported and returned to England as soon as possible.
Evans Jr. was remanded Friday morning into custody until July 10 for sentencing on the manslaughter charge.
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