These women were spared jail by our courts... people claim they "get away with it because of their gender" - but what's the real reason?

There are currently around 79,000 prisoners in England and Wales. The overwhelming majority of them - around 75,000 - are male, and are serving time for a wide range of offences, most notably sexual offences, drug offences, possession of weapons and motoring offences.

Women are most represented amongst those serving time for fraud - making up 20 per cent of them. As home to some of the country's busiest courts, Greater Manchester processes a significant proportion of women offenders.

And the sentences these women receive often leads to heated debates in M.E.N comments sections between readers, with some claiming women 'get away with it' because of their gender.

READ MORE: Gang who 'brought misery to town' jailed for decades

Among the women offenders to appear in courts recently was Natalie Warke, spared jail after being caught drug driving, as she was the sole carer for her 12-year-old son. Meanwhile, Kyliesha Knight-Greig, who hit a woman in the face with a bottle, escaped a prison term in order for her to rebuild her career as a carer.

And there was also the case of Shelby Gratty, who harassed a woman by making hoax calls to the fire service, but was given ‘one final chance’ as she was pregnant.

Each of these stories led to heated discussions between readers. Nonetheless, campaigners argue that it is too many women who are being sent to prison, and not too few.

Speaking to the M.E.N, a spokesperson for the group Women In Prison said: “The vast majority of women are sent to prison on a short sentence for a non-violent offence. The government’s own strategy acknowledges that most women in prison should not be there. Prison is a dead end, one that tears families and communities apart.

“Self-harm incidents in women’s