Former professional footballer Ched Evans sparked a national debate after he was allowed to train with Sheffield United, just over two years after being convicted of rape.

The figures, released by the Office for National Statistics, also show that Manchester residents are more than 1.5 times more likely to suffer a sexual offence than those in London districts

The striker, 25, made 16 appearances for City between 2007 and 2009, before being sentenced to five years in jail for rape in April 2012.

Six years on, after having not won a major trophy since 1970, there now stand four gleaming trophies in City’s cabinet, signalling that their brightest era has just begun