Vanessa Hunter, 38, saw a six-week sentence suspended for 12 months after admitting a spate of shop thefts and breaching a previous conditional discharge.

District Judge Matthew Bone told her “before these new guidelines it probably would have been an immediate sentence”.

He said updated requirements that came into force on September 1 state “female offenders commonly offend for different reasons than male offenders and the impact of custodial sentences will often be different”.

District Judge Matthew Bone said he had taken updated sentencing guidelines into account(Image: JSP Solicitors)

Judge Bone said in deciding to suspend her sentence he had considered the more limited number of female prison........

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