For the purposes of s 31(5A) of the Sentencing Act 1991 (Vic), 'exceptional circumstances' means circumstances that are clearly unusual, quite special, or distinctly out of the ordinary, and which fall outside the range of normally anticipated consequences, behaviours or exigencies — but need not be beyond reasonable contemplation or expectation. A plea bargain in which the Director of Public Prosecutions undertakes to submit that exceptional circumstances exist is a relevant circumstance that must be considered in its totality, not merely in terms of whether the offender's guilty plea was unprecedented.
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