British man guilty in manslaughter of Owen Sound restaurateur Sharif Rahman sentenced to 3½ years in prison

British man guilty in manslaughter of Owen Sound restaurateur Sharif Rahman sentenced to 3½ years in prison

Robert Evans Jr. pleaded guilty in 2023 dispute over unpaid dining bill, dad and uncle sentenced previously

A British man who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of Owen Sound, Ont., restaurant owner Sharif Rahman nearly three years ago was sentenced Friday to 3½ years in prison.

The hearing for Robert Evans Jr. began at 11:40 a.m. ET in the Ontario Court of Justice in Owen Sound.

Last month, Evans Jr. entered his plea and apologized to Rahman's family, in a case that has drawn widespread attention since the fatal confrontation outside The Curry House on Aug. 17, 2023. His dad and uncle were previously sentenced in the case.

Man who killed Ontario restaurant owner apologizes to family, city after pleading guilty to manslaughter

"[Rahman's] death was profoundly tragic. It was felt by the community and attracted a great deal of attention and outpouring of sympathy," Justice Christopher Chorney told court Friday. "His family will suffer his loss greatly forever. There's nothing we can do to make that less so."

The Crown and defence presented a joint submission on sentencing for Evans Jr. of 42 months. Under Canadian law, judges generally accept joint sentencing recommendations unless doing so would bring the administration of justice into disrepute or otherwise be contrary to the public interest.

"As such, I will order the sentence as proposed: three and a half years," Chorney said.

Taking into account credit for the pretrial custody, Evans Jr. will serve a remaining seven months in jail. He will stay in custody until he is deported back to the U.K.

Judge considers several factors

Sentencing court heard that Rahman, 44, had confronted a group of people after they allegedly left the downtown restaurant without paying their bill. Evans Jr. punched Rahman, who fell and struck his head on the pavement. He died a week later in a London hospital.

On June 5, Evans Jr. stood in court and delivered his apology, saying he knew Rahman was a good family man who was respected in the community.

"This never should have happened. I didn't mean for him to die. … I’m sickened by the damage that I’ve caused," he said.

Chorney said he viewed Evans Jr.'s apology as "sincere."

"I accept he is truly remorseful and he will carry the guilt for what he has done for the rest of his life," Chorney said. "Of course, this pales in comparison to the grief he has caused the victim's family for the rest of their lives."

Dad, uncle sentenced earlier after guilty pleas

As part of the guilty plea, the Crown withdrew a charge of aggravated assault against Evans Jr.

Despite this, Chorney said there were several "aggravating factors" that helped him decide the sentence was appropriate, including that he fled both the scene and Canada.

"I find that his evasion from the scene and then his swift flight from the country reflects that he knew how serious what he had done was, even if he did not intend to cause the harm, he did when he committed the assault."

Evans Jr. was charged in 2024 after Canadian investigators identified him as the suspect. He was arrested in Scotland months after Rahman's death and later extradited to Canada to face trial.

His father, Robert Busby Evans, and uncle, Barry Evans, pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact for helping Evans Jr. leave Canada after the assault on Rahman. The two were sentenced to 21 months, and with time served, are being deported.

Kendra Seguin is a reporter/editor with CBC London. She is interested in writing about music, culture and communities. You can probably find her at a local show or you can email her at kendra.seguin@cbc.ca.