Robert Evans Jr Admits Manslaughter of Restaurant Owner Over Unpaid Bill in Canada

A 25-year-old British man has admitted to the manslaughter of a restaurant owner in Ontario after a confrontation over an unpaid bill worth £79. Robert Evans Jr pleaded guilty on Friday to killing Sharif Rahman, 44, whose death occurred following a physical altercation outside a curry house in Owen Sound in August 2023. His father, Robert Busby Evans, 49, and uncle Barry Evans, 56, both pleaded guilty to being accessories after the fact.

The Incident and Legal Proceedings

The altercation took place outside The Curry House restaurant in Owen Sound, approximately 190 kilometers from Toronto, stemming from a dispute over an unpaid $150 bill. Rahman, originally from Bangladesh and a father of one, was struck by Evans Jr during the confrontation. He was discovered in the street by a staff member and transported to a hospital in London, Ontario, where he died a week after the incident.

According to court records, the three men were in Canada on holiday visas and departed the country shortly after the altercation. Their whereabouts remained unknown until more than a year later, when Evans Jr and his father were arrested by Police Scotland in Edinburgh, with Barry Evans arrested in Dalkeith. All three men consented to extradition at hearings in Edinburgh Sheriff Court in October of the previous year.

Sentencing and Apology

During Friday's resolution hearing, Evans Jr delivered an apology to the court, acknowledging Rahman as a respected family man in the community. "This never should have happened. I didn't mean for him to die. I'm sickened by the damage that I have caused," he stated. The Crown and defence jointly proposed a sentence of 42 months for Evans Jr, with 21-month sentences for his father and uncle. Justice Christopher Chorney accepted the joint submission, noting that the men's swift departure from Canada demonstrated their understanding of the incident's seriousness. Evans Jr's sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 10. His father and uncle have already accumulated sufficient pretrial custody credit and will remain in custody pending transfer to the Canadian Border Agency for deportation to the United Kingdom.