Published Mar 30, 2025 • Last updated 15 hours ago • 3 minute readWabaningosi (Tim) Dingwell, 44, was sentenced to 14 months in jail on March 10 in P.E.I. Supreme Court for sexually assaulting his wife while the couple were still married. Terrence McEachernA P.E.I. man has been sentenced to 14 months in jail for sexually assaulting his wife while they were still in a marital relationship.Wabaningosi (Tim) Dingwell, 44, appeared in P.E.I. Supreme Court on March 10, 2025, for sentencing. He previously pleaded not guilty to the sexual assault charge but was found guilty on March 12, 2024, by Justice Gregory Cann after a trial.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentPre-sentence and Gladue reports discussing Dingwell’s personal circumstances and background information were both prepared for the court. The trial was held in Charlottetown in the summer and fall of 2023. Dingwell did not testify at the trial.A publication ban was ordered preventing the release of information that could identify the female victim. However, on Jan. 9, the publication ban was lifted at the request of the victim. The Guardian has chosen not to name her in this story.Sentencing hearingAt a sentencing hearing on Oct. 3, Crown attorney John Diamond recommended three to four years in prison for the sexual assault whereas defence lawyer Brendan Hubley recommended a conditional sentence of two years less a day.According to court documents, the couple met in Ottawa in November 2005 and started dating shortly after. She was 18 years old and Dingwell was 24 years old when they met. They married in August 2006. At that time, Dingwell had turned 25 years old and the victim 19 years old.Sexual assaultThe couple moved to Stratford, P.E.I., in 2008. The sexual assault occurred in September of that year while the victim was initially asleep in their bed and without her consent. Dingwell touched her breast, inserted his fingers into her vagina and tried to have intercourse with her. He then went to the bathroom. The victim left the house with their son and went to the Maypoint RCMP detachment to file a complaint but charges weren’t pursued.Article contentDingwell left the house for a few days. He told his wife that he didn’t remember the incident. Dingwell returned to the residence but the couple lived separately inside until March or April of 2009 when they both found separate residences in Charlottetown.In January 2010, the couple reunited and lived together again. The couple moved to Hamilton, Ont., in 2015 so the woman could continue her education. They moved back to Stratford in March 2021. As a result of other incidents, the couple separated in December of 2021. The couple have four children.The RCMP became involved again and this time Dingwell was charged with sexual assaults against the woman in 2008 and 2013. Cann found Dingwell not guilty of the 2013 allegation.SentencingAt sentencing, Cann described the offence as a breach of trust since the victim was asleep in her bed where she should have been safe. Cann also noted that the offence has impacted the victim financially as well as on her mental and physical health.Cann found that there were numerous factors in Dingwell’s background as an Indigenous person that were relevant in his conduct. Those factors include the intergeneration affects of family members who were residential school survivors, housing and food insecurity in his early life, physical abuse, lack of educational opportunities due to him having to work at a young age and contribute to family income and overt racism that led to him feeling shame in his identity.In addition to 14 months in jail, Dingwell was also sentenced to two years of probation, a weapons prohibition, a DNA order and an order placing him on the Sex Offender Information Registry for 20 years. Dingwell did not have a prior criminal record.Terrence McEachern is a justice reporter for The Guardian in Prince Edward Island. He can be reached at tmceachern@postmedia.com.Article content
P.E.I. man gets jail for sexually assaulting his wife
