(28)Member States should ensure, in accordance with national law, that at least one of the following can be regarded as mitigating circumstances: where the offender provides the competent authorities with information they would not otherwise have been able to obtain, helping them to identify or bring to justice other offenders; or where the offender provides the competent authorities with information they would not otherwise have been able to obtain, helping them to find evidence. In the assessment of mitigating circumstances, it should remain within the discretion of the judge or the court to determine whether to decrease the sentence, taking into account the specific circumstances in each individual case. Those circumstances could include the nature, timing and extent of the information provided and the level of cooperation provided by the offender.