Bail denied for man facing violent charges

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This article was published 26/04/2023 (1282 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A man who has rapidly accumulated a slew of violent charges in the Westman area since last summer, including for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend, was denied bail on Tuesday.

Brian Courchene, 31, will stay behind bars as he faces six sets of charges from seven different dates, spanning from last July through Monday. Allegations against him include charges of forcible confinement, theft under $5,000, domestic assault, impaired driving, obstructing and resisting police officers and failure to comply with court-ordered conditions.

None of the allegations have been proven in court, and Courchene remains innocent until proven guilty.

Most of the alleged events took place in Dauphin and Ebb and Flow First Nation, but an incident at Dairy Queen in Brandon is what brought him into local police custody Monday.

Last July, a man was caught on video surveillance footage stealing more than $600 worth of items from the Dauphin Co-op store.

Then in November, officers saw a vehicle swerving on the road in Ebb and Flow First Nation. When police attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver persisted until the vehicle arrived at a residence.

The driver exited the vehicle and, showing signs of intoxication, neglected to put the vehicle in park. As it rolled toward the front porch of the house, an officer jumped in the vehicle, placed it in park and arrested the man.

According to the police account read in court by Crown attorney Yaso Mathu, when the officers placed the driver in the police cruiser, he was argumentative and swore at police. He allegedly kicked the windows of the cruiser, so the officers pulled him out of the vehicle until he stopped his behaviour.

When samples of his breath were taken, the driver blew nearly three times over the legal limit.

The next month, a man was alleged to be involved in two domestic assault incidents against his girlfriend.

In the one incident, he punched his girlfriend and confined her to the bedroom.

In the other incident, the man’s girlfriend told him she wanted to end the relationship and leave. The man punched her, causing bruising on the woman’s arms and leg. In the woman’s statement to police, she said the man got angry during an argument and would not let her leave, grabbing her, tearing her shirt off, wrapping his upper body around her and bending her backward.

After his arrest, Courchene was released on a court-ordered condition to not contact his girlfriend.

On Monday, outside of Dairy Queen at the Corral Centre, police officers witnessed a man shoving his girlfriend with two hands, attempting to force her into a vehicle.

Security footage from the incident revealed the man also pushed her, causing her to fall. When officers attempted to arrest the man, he tried to walk away from them.

On Tuesday, prosecutors were opposed to Courchene’s release for the seriousness of the allegations against him, and for being found in violation of court-ordered conditions when he was released previously.

“He resorts to violence when he does not get his way or he disagrees with [his girlfriend],” the Crown said. “We have no confidence he would follow any conditions, even the most basic of conditions, which we need in place to ensure [his girlfriend’s] safety.”

Defence lawyer Anthony Dawson suggested that Courchene could be released with a strict curfew and conditions that would require him to reside in a different community than his girlfriend.

“I do think that with these very strict conditions in place, they’re going to keep him in the house, where he has a surety, someone who’s making sure that he is keeping to his conditions, that Mr. Courchene would be releasable,” Dawson said.

During a break in the proceedings, Courchene asked Judge Hewitt-Michta how things were looking for him.

In delivering her decision to deny Courchene bail, she responded:

“I guess in answer to the question you first asked me, it’s not looking good for you,” Hewitt-Michta said.

Ultimately, the judge cited concern around the seriousness of the allegations against Courchene, although she did note they were allegations, not facts. Still, Courchene’s record for failing to attend court and breaching release conditions contributed to her decision to keep him in custody.

Courchene’s trial for the December assault is scheduled for May 24 in Dauphin, and his Brandon charges will next appear before the court May 1.

» gmortfield@brandonsun.com