There are new hearing dates in the extradition cases for three men facing charges in the death of Owen Sound restaurant owner Sharif Rahman.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service confirms to Bayshore News a second preliminary hearing has been scheduled for May 22 in the extradition process for Robert Evans, Robert Busby Evans and Barry Evans.
August 14 is the date for a final extradition hearing, the spokesperson confirms.
Robert Evans is charged by police in Canada with manslaughter in relation to Rahman’s 2023 death. Robert Busby Evans and Barry Evans are both charged with accessory after the fact.
Last month, the three accused attended a preliminary extradition hearing at Edinburgh Sheriff Court. A newspaper in the United Kingdom, the Times UK, reported lawyers for the three men argued the condition of Canadian prisons could violate their clients’ human rights.
The Sheriff Court justice requested information on which prison the accused would be in if they were extradited to Canada, the Times UK reported.
- Lawyers For Accused In Sharif Rahman Case Take Issue With Canadian Prison Conditions
- Preliminary Extradition Hearing Thursday For Three U.K. Men Charged In Sharif Rahman’s Death
- Three UK Citizens Charged In Sharif Rahman Death
Rahman was assaulted outside his restaurant The Curry House on 2nd Avenue East in downtown Owen Sound on Aug. 17, 2023 and died one week later — on Aug. 24, 2023 — from injuries he suffered. He was 44-years-old, and left behind a wife and a young daughter.
Police say the assault was related to a dispute connected to the restaurant.
There was an outpouring of support for Rahman’s family in wake of the incident. Vigil walks were held in Owen Sound. An online fundraiser brought in more than $250,000. Hundreds lined the streets for his funeral. And a sense of sadness and anger lingered in the community for weeks after the August 2023 incident.
Rahman was also posthumously awarded the YMCA Peace Medal in Grey Bruce. Last year, a commemorative oak tree was planted in his honour outside the Julie McArthur Regional Recreation Centre in Owen Sound.
Owen Sound Police and Ontario Provincial Police announced the charges connected to Rahman’s death against three United Kingdom men — Robert Evans, Robert Busby Evans and Barry Evans — in December 2024. At the time, police acknowledged the three accused were in the U.K. and before the courts for extradition.
Extradition is a formal process where one country asks another for a person to be returned in order to face criminal proceedings in the requesting nation.
A public document describing the United Kingdom’s extradition process says it includes an initial hearing and extradition hearing. Appeals could potentially follow.
