Three U.K. citizens have been charged in the 2023 beating death of a beloved Owen Sound, Ont., restaurant owner, in a case that had the community up in arms over lack of details released by police during their investigation and the time it was taking to make an arrest.
Robert Evans, 24, has been charged with manslaughter and Robert Busby Evans, 47, and Barry Evans, 54, have been charged with accessory after the fact in the Sharif Rahman case, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and city detectives said Wednesday.
The three accused were in Canada on visitor visas and left the country shortly after the August 2023 attack, said OPP Det. Insp. Jane Conway, the lead investigator.
Rahman, 44, a husband and father of a young daughter, was attacked on Aug. 17, 2023, outside The Curry House in downtown Owen Sound and later died in a London, Ont., hospital. Police and a witness said it happened during a dispute over an unpaid dining bill totalling approximately $150.
“The individuals are currently in the U.K. and are before the courts in relation to extradition. There are no timelines available for the extradition of the accused individuals,” police said in a statement.
But questions remain over:
- What exactly the three men were doing in Canada.
- How long they’d been in Canada and when they left.
- Their relationships with each other.
- Where in the United Kingdom the men are from and where they were arrested.
- When they’ll be extradited to Canada.
Provincial police Det. Insp. Jane Conway told a news conference in Owen Sound on Wednesday that three men in U.K. have been charged in the beating death of restaurant owner Sharif Rahman. Conway says police previously didn’t release details because a sealing order by a justice of the peace prohibited disclosing arrest details.
In a statement read by Owen Sound Det. Const. Chevonne Martin on Wednesday, Rahman’s wife, Shayela Nasrin, thanked law enforcement for their work.
“I have been waiting patiently since Aug. 17, 2023, and I believe justice will be served for my husband. In addition, I am thankful to the community for the support that I have received.”
Nasrin also asked for privacy.
“Thank you to media for being respectful towards my decision [to not speak about the case]. I was not comfortable and I am not comfortable talking about the terrible incident over and over again — I wish to have the same support from the media.”
Restaurant worker happy about arrests
Adnan Hussain, who came to Canada from Bangladesh to work with Rahman at The Curry House, has said he was also injured while he was on the job, as a cook, the night of the assault.
“I’m really happy that arrests have been made,” he said.
Hussain told CBC he was feeling frustrated before arrests were first announced in October. He said he misses spending time with Sharif, and remembers him as being funny, kind and helpful.
“When he died, I was messed up all the way,” he said.
In the days following the attack, police deemed Rahman’s death a homicide. They released surveillance footage of a suspect running away from the scene and a suspect vehicle.
Almost a year later, on Aug. 15, police said they had made arrests but refused to say who or how many people were take into custody, or if charges had been laid.
Killing ‘had a huge impact on our community’
Rahman’s death prompted an outpouring of grief and support for his family. Hundreds lined the streets for his funeral.
“This incident had a huge impact on our community,” said Owen Sound police Chief Craig Ambrose.
“This was the third homicide in six weeks in the summer of 2023. It overwhelmed our capacity for quite some time, hence the OPP involvement.”
He added he was proud of the Owen Sound and provincial police officers who worked to make the arrests.
On Wednesday, police said they were getting help from the Interpol, Ottawa Fugitive Apprehension Support Team and U.K. law enforcement members from the National Extradition Unit of the National Crime Agency and Police Scotland.
Police at a news conference announcing charges in the 2023 beating death of Owen Sound, Ont., restaurant owner Sharif Rahman read a statement from his wife, Shayela Nasrin. She thanked investigators and said, ‘I believe justice will be served for my husband.’
The Sharifur Rahman Memorial Scholarship was started this past summer with a gift from an anonymous donor to continue Rahman’s legacy of civic engagement.
Having come to Canada from Bangladesh more than a decade ago, Rahman had made a name for himself as a generous person who gave back through the donation of food and volunteer service.
