Man facing ‘revolving door’ of allegations denied bail

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This article was published 08/07/2025 (261 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Brandon man described by the prosecution as having a “revolving door” of allegations bringing him back to court was denied bail on Tuesday afternoon.

The Crown opposed Dasan Swann-Gurka’s bail application in Brandon provincial court, saying he would pose a risk to the public if he were to be released.

Swann-Gurka, 21, faces two counts of possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose and charges of attempting to steal a motor vehicle, possessing stolen property, carrying a concealed weapon, failing to comply with an undertaking, failing to comply with a probation order and theft under $5,000.

“Mr. Swann-Gurka seems to be telegraphing very clearly to the court that he is not capable of following any conditions that he’s put on, should he be released,” said Crown attorney Melania Cannon.

Cannon said the allegations are especially concerning since he pleaded guilty to multiple charges on June 24, including an assault.

She read out the details of the allegations against Swann-Gurka.

They included an incident on June 30, when a man reported to police that he and his friend had returned from fishing and found a man in his truck. When police arrived at around 11:20 p.m., the man was still in the vehicle, Cannon said.

Police found out that Swann-Gurka had allegedly used a rock to smash the window to get into the truck, she said.

Cannon said when the men confronted him, he told them he was looking for the keys so he could drive to Ontario.

She said police could see the broken window and the rock that was allegedly used to smash it sitting on the passenger seat.

Cannon said police also noticed that Swann-Gurka was in possession of a bike that was reported stolen earlier that same day.

“I would argue that the allegations … are actually quite serious. He uses a rock to break into people’s vehicles and gives them the stated intention that he’s planning to drive that vehicle to Ontario,” Cannon said.

Police arrested the man, and he was released on an undertaking.

On July 3, police were sent to a business on Ninth Street after employees reported that a man had cut his forearm with a knife. Shortly after, police received an update that the man had picked up the knife and was leaving, Cannon said.

She said officers found the man in the 400 block of Eighth Street and he told police he cut his arm while opening the packaging of a knife he got.

When police searched his name, they found that he was bound by a probation order not to possess knives or any weapons.

Police took the man to the hospital, where he got stitches, before he was released with a court date in September, Cannon said.

On Monday, police went to the 1300 block of 22nd Street, where a woman told them a man was sitting on the sidewalk in front of her home and that she thought he had a large baton, Cannon said.

“It turned out not to be a baton, it was a large filleting knife that was concealed in a pants pocket and then tucked up under his hoodie,” she said.

Police arrested him and held him at the station to appear in court on Tuesday morning.

“The strongest point that I’m trying to make here is this is an individual who was essentially in a revolving-door situation from December until the end of June this year, coming back into court again and again on allegations,” Cannon said.

She said there is no bail plan that would alleviate her concern that he would be a risk to the public.

Defence lawyer Anthony Dawson pointed out that Swann-Gurka has a relatively light criminal record, with only four prior convictions, and that he denied several of the allegations.

“He tells me he did not say anything to the complainants about wanting to take (the vehicle) to Ontario,” Dawson said.

Dawson said it’s likely some of the allegations will go to trial.

He proposed a bail plan that would have Swann-Gurka reside in Brandon under several conditions, including a 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew, a weapons and knives prohibition, not to be in the driver’s seat of a vehicle without written permission from the owner and not to leave Manitoba.

Judge Patrick Sullivan said the bail plan was reasonable and probably the best one Swann-Gurka could put forward but still he denied his bail.

“What’s really standing out to me is the repeated nature of the allegations at this stage, coming very close on the heels of convictions in June only of this year to a number of offences, including one of violence,” Sullivan said.

» sanderson@brandonsun.com