The sentence was handed down by territorial court Judge Michel Bourassa Thursday.

Dagg plead guilty to 14 charges of breaking into 11 residences and three businesses in a Yellowknife crime spree that spanned the month of November.

Included in the break-ins was the Tiger Card Shop in Yellowknife Centre Mall where $1,200 was stolen.

Dagg sat in court, his head in his hands, as Crown prosecutor Andrew Fox read the list of charges against him.

The spree of break-and-enters began on Nov. 6 and ended on Nov. 27 when Dagg was apprehended by RCMP.

Bourassa listened to the circumstances of each charge as well as Dagg's criminal record, which dates back to 1989. Ranging from break-and-enter to assault, Dagg has spent extensive time in provincial and territorial facilities and Bourassa said it was time he got a taste of the federal system.

"I am of the view it might do Mr. Dagg some good to see what the federal penitentiary system is like. Provincial time has not done him any good in the past," he said.

Bourassa said it was time to send a message to deter crimes that impact on community innocence, which was the reasoning for his sentence.

Moreno Lodovici, one of Dagg's victims, said he believes the sentence should have been longer.

"Three-and-a-half years is better than nothing," he said.

"I expected it to be longer. I expected it to be a minimum of five years," he said.