There were extenuating circumstances and the defendant did not receive a prison sentence.是什么意思？

There were extenuating circumstances and the defendant did not receive a prison sentence.

因有可减轻罪行的情节被告未被判刑。

there

adv. 在那里，那里，在那一点上；pron. 表示某物或某人的存在或某事的发生（常用作be, seem或appear的主语）；int. （表示满足、烦恼）你瞧，好啦，得啦；

例句
If nature abhors a vacuum, journalists abhor a transition, when there is little news to cover.
好比自然界拒绝真空一样，新闻工作者则厌恶没有多少新闻可供报道的过渡时期。

were

be的过去时复数和第二人称单数形式，有时代替 was,用于条件从句、动词 wish 之后等；

例句
Shops, houses, and vehicles were set ablaze.
店铺、房子和车辆全都陷于火海。

extenuating

adj. 使减轻的，情有可原的；v. （用偏袒的辩解或借口）减轻( extenuate的现在分词 )，低估，藐视；

例句
The defendants decide to admit their guilt, but insist that there are extenuating circumstances.
被告方决定认罪，但是坚称有从轻情节。

circumstances

n. 境况，境遇，（尤指）经济状况，命运，环境( circumstance的名词复数 )，事件，境遇，机遇；

例句
The strategy was too dangerous in the explosive circumstances of the times...
在当时那种一触即发的形势下，采取那样的策略太危险了。

and

conj. 和，与，而且，于是，然后，因此；

例句
I spend a lot on expensive jewelry and clothing...
我花很多钱购买昂贵的首饰和衣服。

the

art. 指已提到的人（物），指说话人与听者已知的人（物），用于独一无二的事物前，与形容词最高级和序数词连用；

例句
He did have a real knowledge of the country...
他对该国的确知之甚多。

defendant

n. [法]被告人；adj. [法]被告的，辩护的；

例句
The defendant asked for 21 similar offences to be taken into account...
被告要求考虑到类似的21起违法行为的情况。

did

v. 做( do的过去式)，干，学习，研究；

例句
He did have a real knowledge of the country...
他对该国的确知之甚多。

not

adv. 不，[用以表示否定、否认、拒绝、禁止等]不是，几乎不，未必，没有[用于否定后面的词或短语]；

例句
It became very clear that the incident was not just an aberration, it was not just a single incident.
事实已经很清楚，这件事不是偶发的，它并不是一起孤立的事件。

receive

vt.& vi. 收到，接到，接纳，接待；vt. 接收，受理，欢迎，承受；vi. 接到，获得，接见，欢迎，[电子学] 接收，[橄榄球] 接球；

例句
High achievers will receive cash bonuses...
业绩出众的人会获得现金奖励。

prison

n. 监狱，牢笼，监禁，入狱；

例句
The prison authorities have been criticised for not moving more quickly to end the protest by inmates.
监狱当局因没有尽快采取行动制止犯人抗议而受到批评。

sentence

n. 句子，宣判；vt. 宣判，判决；

例句
Heath's appeal against the sentence was later successful...
希思对判决不服提出上诉，后来胜诉了。