Women across the region are being sentenced to 17 months less in prison than men who commit the same crime, new figures show.

MP Philip Davies, whose Shipley constituency includes Culling-worth and Denholme, said the figures – which he revealed through parliamentary questions – made a mockery of the criminal justice system and discriminated against men.

He added: “A crime is a crime, regardless of gender, and should be treated that way.”

The average sentence for women in 2012 for any indictable offence – a crime so serious it must be dealt with at crown court – was 31.6 months, compared to 48.7 months for men.

Mr Davies said: “Right here in West Yorkshire, we have further proof women are treated more leniently than men in our justice system.”

The largest discrepancy was for those who had committed sexual offences. Women were handed an average sentence of 28 months, compared with 81 months for men.

Female robbers were given an average 28.4 months’ jail time in 2012, 11 months less than men sentenced for the same crime. Fraud for women carried an average sentence of 18 months, ten months less than men.

Across the county, 50 per cent of the women sentenced were given immediate jail sentences, compared with 75 per cent of men.

Last month, Mr Davies highlighted another crime-related disparity between men and women.

He revealed figures he hoped would dispel a myth that domestic violence only affected females.

Mr Davies said nearly 4,000 men in prison had suffered such abuse – the equivalent of the entire female prison population. “Almost everything we see or hear about domestic violence gives the impression there are only female victims and male perpetrators,” he added.