Pregnant offenders in England and Wales could be spared jail under new guidelines

Changes to sentencing guidance will also apply to mothers of children under one year old

Pregnant women should not be sent to jail unless it is unavoidable", according to new sentencing guidelines.

The guidance, published on Wednesday by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales, has been hailed by campaigners as a huge milestone. It outlines a raft of new measures to stop criminals who are pregnant or mothers of children under one year old being imprisoned.