Scottish suspects in Sharif Rahman case appear in Owen Sound, Ont. court

Three Scottish men accused of killing Owen Sound restaurant owner Sharif Rahman made their first court appearance on Friday. CTV’s Scott Miller reports.

The man accused of punching Sharif Rahman and leaving him to die in the street in front of his Owen Sound restaurant made his first Canadian court appearance on Friday.

25-year-old Robert Evans Jr. is charged with manslaughter for allegedly punching Sharif Rahman outside The Curry House in Owen Sound on Aug. 17, 2023, following a dispute over an unpaid dinner bill.

Rahman would die a week later from his injuries. He was 44, and is survived by his wife and young daughter.

It would take nearly a year, in July 2024, before police located and charged Evans Jr. in his native Scotland with Rahman’s death.

Evan’s father, Robert Busby Evans and uncle Barry Evans, have also been arrested and charged with accessory after the fact to commit an indictable offence for allegedly helping Evans Jr. flee Canada on Aug. 25, 2023, one day after Rahman was fatally punched outside of his restaurant.

The trio, all from Scotland, consented to be extradited to Canada in October 2025 to face their charges in Canada. They arrived in Owen Sound on Thursday.

The three men made brief court appearances in Owen Sound court Friday morning, saying very little as they were formally charged and remanded back into custody.

The death of Rahman, a well-respected businessman and volunteer, gripped his community of Owen Sound.

Hundreds of people laid flowers and took part in a candlelight vigil in his honour back in 2023.

Officials with the Owen Sound Police Service and Grey-Bruce OPP say, “We are aware of the impact this investigation has had on the victim’s family and the local community. We are also deeply grateful to everyone who came forward with information to assist police during the investigation.”

Evans Jr. has his next court date Dec. 15. Robert Busby Evans will return to court on Jan. 7, 2026, and Barry Evans has his next court date Jan. 12, 2026.

With files from CTV News Barrie’s Mike Arsalides