Trio charged in death of Ontario restaurateur fight extradition from Scotland
Sharif Rahman, 44, was attacked outside of The Curry House restaurant in downtown Owen Sound on Aug. 17, 2023, after confronting three men about an unpaid $150 bill. The 44-year-old husband and father of a young girl died a week later in a London, Ont., hospital.
Robert Evans, 24, faces a charge of manslaughter. His father, Robert Busby Evans, 47, and his uncle, Barry Evans, 54, are charged with being accessories after the fact. All three remain in custody pending extradition proceedings.
At a preliminary hearing in Edinburgh Sheriff Court last week, their lawyer claimed that overcrowding and "harsh conditions" in Ontario provincial jails are "known issues" and should be considered in the extradition decision.
The lawyer also raised concerns about access to health care, citing an outbreak in March of streptococcal A disease that killed two inmates at the Maplehurst Correctional Complex in Milton, Ont.
The court was told that an expert's report on conditions at Canadian correctional institutions has been requested.
Sheriff Julius Komorowski, who presided over the hearing, instructed the prosecution to liaise with Ontario authorities to determine where the three men would be held if extradited and to seek assurances about jail conditions.
No family or friends of the accused were present during the proceedings.
The trio are scheduled to return to court in late April for the conclusion of the preliminary hearing.
Canadian authorities have provided the public with scant information about the case, refusing to discuss why the accused were in the country, how and when they left, or details about the altercation that led to Rahman's death.
In August 2024, almost a year after the incident, police issued a brief news release saying arrests had been made.
It wasn't until Dec. 19 that investigators disclosed the names of the suspects and confirmed that the father and son had been apprehended in late July, and the uncle at the end of October.
Ontario court documents about the case remain sealed.
Questions from CBC News about the case have gone unanswered, with the Ministry of the Attorney General, Crown and courts all saying there is no "publicly available information" to share.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
Neighbours shocked after three deaths in Maple Ridge, B.C.
Several neighbours CBC News spoke to say they believe an years-long dispute between neighbours over issues like street parking, backyard fires and a dog exploded into a violent attack in Maple Ridge, B.C. Homicide investigators continue to look into the death of a couple, with the suspect found dead in a home across the street on Wednesday night.
Ottawa Citizen
8 hours ago
- Ottawa Citizen
'Nothing more than the usual': Hockey Canada verdict echoes cases in Sault Ste. Marie
Article content Wednesday's verdict in a London courtroom, which found five former Canadian world junior players not guilty in a 2018 sexual assault case, marked the end of a high-profile trial that reignited national conversations — including in Sault Ste. Marie — about sexual violence and accountability in hockey. Article content The outcome has resounded across the country, particularly among those working directly with survivors. Article content Article content Article content 'We were really, really disappointed to hear the verdict,' said Sarah Paciocco, a sexual assault and abuse crisis counsellor at Women in Crisis Algoma. Article content Article content In the case, the complainant, known as E.M., spent years under public scrutiny before taking the stand. Over the course of her testimony, she faced long hours of cross-examination and was asked to relive painful memories. Article content 'I think it really drives home the point for people to understand why women often don't come forward,' Paciocco said. 'The trauma they go through having to sit on trial, having to divulge so many details, being re-traumatized, doing all that work, all that time.' Article content This moment didn't begin in London, and it likely won't end there. The Hockey Canada verdict — in which five players, Michael McLeod, Alex Formenton, Carter Hart, Dillon Dube and Cal Foote, were found not guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in a London hotel room — is one in a long line of similar cases involving junior hockey players. In communities across the country, including Sault Ste. Marie, allegations of sexual misconduct have surfaced consistently. Article content Article content In 2012, three Soo Greyhounds players — Nick Cousins, Andrew Fritsch, and Mark Petaccio — were charged in connection with an alleged sexual assault on a woman. The charges were dropped eight months later when the Crown found there was 'no reasonable prospect of conviction.' Article content Despite the serious nature of the allegations, all three players walked away without a trial. Each entered into a 12-month peace bond that required no admission of guilt but included conditions like staying 500 metres away from the complainant. Article content The complainant, present in the courtroom, left quickly after the judge's decision. No one from the Crown's office commented on the case. Lawyers for the players emphasized the stress their clients endured and described the prosecution's decision as vindication. Article content In 1996, CBC's Fifth Estate revisited the case of former Greyhound Jarrett Reid, who was charged with 21 offences against two women during his time with the Hounds in the early '90s. He pleaded guilty to eight charges and served part of a nine-month jail term.
8 hours ago
Hong Kong announces arrest warrants, rewards for exiles who formed political committee in Canada
Police said in a statement Friday that the group, Hong Kong Parliament, aimed to promote self-determination and establish a so-called Hong Kong constitution, alleging it was using illegal means to overthrow and undermine China's fundamental system or overthrow the institutions in power in the city or China. At the request of police, the city's court issued arrest warrants for activists Elmer Yuen, Johnny Fok, Tony Choi, Victor Ho, Keung Ka-wai and 14 others (new window) . They are alleged to have organized or participated in an election abroad for the Hong Kong Parliament, as well as setting up or becoming members of the group. While the group calls itself Hong Kong Parliament, its electoral organizing committee was founded in Toronto in 2022 and its influence is limited. According to a Facebook statement by the group on Jun. 30, its recent election (new window) drew some 15,700 valid votes through mobile app and online voting systems. It said the candidates and elected members came from various regions, including two based in Canada, as well as individuals now in Taiwan, Thailand, Australia, the U.S. and Britain. Yuen said in a Facebook live broadcast that the police campaign would help the group rally support for the resistance movement. It helps us with a lot of advertising, Yuen said. During the live chat with Yuen on Facebook, Sasha Gong, another person targeted by the bounties, accused Hong Kong of becoming a police state. She said she is a U.S. citizen and would report her case to the U.S. authorities and lawmakers. B.C. resident targeted a 2nd time Among the 19 activists, police have already offered one million Hong Kong dollars ($174,580 Cdn) for information leading to the arrest of Yuen, Ho, Fok and Choi when arrest warrants for separate activities were issued against them. Ho, the former editor of the Sing Tao Daily based in British Columbia, told CBC News at that time he would not be deterred in his advocacy for the rights of Hong Kongers free from Beijing interference. WATCH l Victor Ho of B.C. was among 6 named in a previous announcement: For the remaining 15 people, rewards of 200,000 Hong Kong dollars ($34,915 Cdn) were offered, urging residents to provide information about the case or the people. The investigation is still ongoing. If necessary, police will offer bounties to hunt down more suspects in the case, police said. They also called on those wanted to stop their actions while they still can, saying that they hoped the activists will take this opportunity to return to Hong Kong and turn themselves in, rather than making more mistakes. Over the past two years, Hong Kong authorities have issued arrest warrants for various activists based overseas, including former pro-democracy lawmakers Nathan Law and Ted Hui. They also cancelled the passports of some of them under a recent security law introduced in the city last year. The moves against overseas-based activists have drawn criticism from foreign governments, especially given that the former British colony was promised that its Western-style civil liberties and semi-autonomy would be kept intact for at least 50 years when it returned to Chinese rule in 1997. Calls for sanctions In March, the United States sanctioned six Chinese and Hong Kong officials who it alleged were involved in transnational repression and acts that threaten to further erode the city's autonomy. But Beijing and Hong Kong insist the national security laws were necessary for the city's stability. In retaliation for the U.S. move, China in April said it would sanction U.S. officials, lawmakers and leaders of non-governmental organizations who it says have performed poorly on Hong Kong issues. The previous Liberal government in Ottawa announced sanctions on Chinese officials in two separate instances over the past five years, including in December (new window) , but not related to Hong Kong's crackdown on protesters, critics and politicians. Organizations such as Hong Kong Watch Canada (new window) and the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights (new window) are among those who have called on Ottawa to consider sanctions for officials involved in Hong Kong's repression. Jenny Kwan, the Hong Kong-born NDP MP for Vancouver East, has also called for targeted sanctions (new window) on Hong Kong officials. With files from CBC News
