Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Avert the hudud (prescribed punishments) from the Muslims as much as you can. If there is a way out for a Muslim, then let him go, for that the imam should err in pardoning is better than that he should err in punishing."
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الحدود / 17057