For criminal compensation under the Criminal Offence Victims Act 1995 (Qld), a causal link must be established between the specific offence committed by the offender and the injury claimed; it is insufficient to treat a 'melee' as an undifferentiated whole. Expert evidence on causation of mental and nervous shock must be based on an accurate factual foundation and must expose the reasoning process by which the expert's conclusions are reached; failure to do so renders the opinion without probative value. Hearsay accounts in expert reports admitted without objection should be rejected to the extent they are inconsistent with contemporaneous statements and sworn evidence.
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