The notion of sexual offence is now very broad, to the extent that touching even through clothes could be considered harassment. This notion is not at all comparable to the former notion of what constitutes rape. As such, when a sentence is handed down, the judge not only ask you to consider the offence itself, but also the individual who committed it.
I have sat in on a few trials involving gangs and I never seen a conditional sentence of imprisonment handed down. In fact, this measure allows for a judge to make sure that at least half of the sentence be carried out. This is not really an issue in the courts.