Assessors under the Victims of Crime Assistance Act 2006 (NT) must not apply common law principles of assessment of damages when determining awards within prescribed ranges. Instead, awards for compensable violent acts are determined by reference to the seriousness of the criminal conduct, using a broad brush approach. The maximum of a range is not reserved for the worst possible act or injury imaginable but for acts falling within the worst category of their type. Criminal acts committed by the same offender against the same victim on separate dates over a period of weeks or months constitute a 'single violent act' under s 5, and all acts and injuries in the series must be considered in determining the award.
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