The hardened criminals who walk free after 15 convictions: Burglars and sex attackers escape jailÂ Violent thugs and sex offenders among more than 10,000 criminals who did not serve a day in prison for committing another serious offence Despite appalling records, judges handed them suspended sentences Number of such sentences on serial law-breakers has soared by 25 per cent in a yearÂ Sex offenders, violent thugs and burglars are among more than 10,000 criminals with at least 15 previous convictions who did not serve a day in prison for committing yet another serious offence. Despite appalling records, they were freed to roam the streets by judges who handed them suspended sentences. The number of suspended sentences imposed on serial law-breakers has soared by 25 per cent in a year, figures show. Victims and campaigners said they were â€˜sickenedâ€™ by the news, and accused courts of handing out soft punishments to save money and cut overcrowding in prisons. Burglars and violent thugs were among the thousands of serial law-breakers handed suspended sentences. In the year to June, around 105,000 adults punished for serious offences, such as killings and sexual attacks, had at least 15 prior convictions or cautions. But 10,929 â€" one in ten â€" received suspended sentences, compared to 8,722 the year before, Ministry of Justice data reveals. Of those, 60 per cent were convicted of theft, burglary or shoplifting. Suspended terms are only handed to those a judge has strongly considered locking up. Another 45,644 were given non-custodial punishments â€" discharges, fines, or community sentences â€" while only 41,371 went to jail. The number given a suspended sentence for lesser offences despite having at least 15 convictions also rose almost 25 per cent from 2,340 to 2,877. In all, 35,484 criminals, many of whom had never been in trouble with the courts before, received suspended sentences. They included 5,699 violent thugs, 591 sex offenders, 448 robbers and 10,243 burglars and thieves. Peter Cuthbertson, of the Centre for Crime Prevention think-tank, said: â€˜Suspended sentences are being hugely overused for very prolific offenders, which means very serious crimes are effectively going unpunished. This is a sickening insult to victims. They completely fail to deter hardened criminals . . . protect the public or stop re-offending. It is high time we abolished suspended sentences.â€™ Justice Minister Mike Penning said the government is going ahead with major reforms to tackle the problem of persistent offender Adam Pemberton, of the charity Victim Support, said punishments must â€˜fit the crimeâ€™ and judges who hand down sentences that victims could see as â€˜unduly lenientâ€™ must explain their decision in court. Until 2003, suspended sentences were allowed only in â€˜exceptional circumstancesâ€™. Since that guideline was axed, the number imposed has grown rapidly. As recently as 2004, only 2,021 were handed out for indictable â€" serious â€" offences. Justice Secretary Chris Grayling has tried to take a tougher line, declaring â€˜prison worksâ€™. But critics say since the financial crisis began â€" leaving ministers short of funds for prisons â€" courts have set free more and more repeat offenders. Two years ago, ministers increased the maximum sentence that can be suspended from one to two years. The MoJ said that suspended sentences can include electronic tagging and a curfew. If criminals break the rules, they face prison. In the year to June, 1.7million people went through the criminal justice system, the MoJ figures show. The number sent to jail fell by 2 per cent, from 78,297 to 76,218 â€" which the MoJ said reflected a drop in sentencing. The average jail term is currently at its longest for 20 years, at 15.6 months. Justice minister Mike Penning said: â€˜Under this Government crime is falling and criminals are more likely to go to prison and for longer.Â But there are still a number of hard-core, persistent offenders racking up conviction after conviction. We are pressing ahead with major reforms to tackle this problem.â€™