There is no arbitrary 50% cap on combined discounts for guilty plea and assistance to authorities under ss 22 and 23 of the Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999 (NSW), but combined discounts exceeding 50% should be reserved for exceptional cases, typically involving organised criminal activities where the risk of harm to the offender or family is significant. Merely identifying co-offenders and giving evidence against them is not exceptional assistance. The proportionality assessment under s 23(3) should properly be applied to the assistance discount measured against the sentence already reduced for the guilty plea, not against the original starting sentence.
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