U.K. man sentenced to 3.5 years for death of Ontario restaurant owner

A British man who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of an Ontario restaurant owner killed in a dispute over an unpaid bill has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison.

Robert Evans was arrested in Scotland and extradited to Canada last year for his role in the 2023 death of Sharif Rahman, who died a week after he was assaulted outside his Owen Sound, Ont., restaurant.

Evans appeared Friday in an Owen Sound courtroom, where the presiding judge said Crown prosecutors and Evans’ defence lawyer had agreed on a three-and-a-half year sentence in a joint submission.

Taking into account time already served in custody, the judge said Evans will spend about seven months in prison before he is likely handed over to Canadian border officials for deportation.

Evans pleaded guilty in June alongside his father, Robert Busby Evans, and uncle, Barry Evans, who were also extradited to Canada to face charges for helping Evans flee the country.

Court heard in June that Evans was with a group of people at Rahman’s restaurant, The Curry House, when Rahman confronted them over an unpaid bill.

An agreed statement of facts read in court said Evans punched the restaurant owner in the face, causing Rahman to fall and hit his head on the sidewalk.

The restaurant owner suffered a skull fracture and brain bleed and later died in a London, Ont., hospital.

Evans’ father and uncle were sentenced to 21 months for accessory after the fact after court heard that Evans’ uncle drove him away from the scene and his father later bought him a plane ticket to return to the U.K.

Evans apologized to Rahman’s family in June and said he didn’t mean for the restaurant owner to die.

“This never should have happened,” he said. “There were so many things I could have done differently that day. I think about it every night and I’m sickened by the damage I’ve caused.”

The sentencing judge said Friday that Rahman was a beloved husband, father and member of the Owen Sound community, and acknowledged that some may see Evans’ three-and-a-half year sentence as too lenient.

The judge said Evans did not intend to cause Rahman’s death and similar cases of manslaughter involving “one impulsive punch” gave rise to sentences between two and six years.

“None of this makes the death of Mr. Rahman any less tragic,” he said.

Under Canadian law, the judge said he could not reject the sentence recommended by the Crown and defence lawyers unless it was “so markedly out of line” it would cause the public to lose faith in the justice system.

By Kathryn Mannie