Former AFL player Nick Stevens convicted of fraud in pool installation scheme
Consensus Summary
A former AFL player Nick Stevens was convicted in May 2024 of fraudulently defrauding six families in Mildura, Victoria, out of $170,000–$171,000 for swimming pools he never installed or delivered. Stevens, who played 231 AFL games and later coached, was found guilty on 13 counts—12 for obtaining financial advantage by deception and one for using a false document—after a jury determined he knowingly misled customers about his ability to legally install pools. Both sources agree the scheme involved missing permits, lack of proper contracts, and council stop-work orders in 2017–2018, leaving four families with unfinished or illegal pools. Prosecutors argued Stevens’ prior experience with compliant pools made his fraudulent intent clear, while his defence claimed financial difficulties and a belief he could secure permits later. Contradictions exist in how each source frames Stevens’ demeanor and the specifics of refunds, but both emphasize the severity of the fraud and the legal consequences awaiting him at a May 21 plea hearing. The case highlights systemic failures in oversight and Stevens’ exploitation of customers’ trust, despite his athletic reputation.
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Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Nick Stevens was found guilty on 12 counts of obtaining a financial advantage by deception and 1 charge of using a false document in the County Court of Victoria (May 2024).
- Stevens pleaded not guilty to all 14 fraud-related charges in 2019, with the case spanning multiple trials and delays.
- Six families in Mildura, Victoria, were defrauded out of a total of $170,000–$171,000 for pools they never received or had illegally installed.
- Stevens was remanded in custody until his plea hearing on May 21, 2024, with Judge Fiona Todd denying bail extensions.
- The fraud involved Stevens falsely representing he would deliver and install legally compliant swimming pools, despite lacking permits or proper contracts.
- Mildura Rural City Council issued stop-work orders on Stevens’ pool sites in 2017–2018 due to missing permits, leading to four families being left with unfinished or illegal pools.
- Stevens previously played 231 AFL matches for Carlton and Port Adelaide between 1998 and 2009, later coaching SANFL’s Glenelg.
- Prosecutor Toni Stokes argued Stevens knew the legal requirements for pool installations after prior training and experience with compliant pools.
- One victim, Ben Knight, paid Stevens over $30,000 for a pool he never received, citing excuses like weather delays and legal disputes.
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Judge Fiona Todd ‘knocked back’ Stevens’ bail extension request, explicitly stating she was not convinced bail should be extended.
- Prosecutor Toni Stokes quoted in court: ‘The accused obtained a financial advantage by deception in that he represented he would deliver and install an in-ground pool, which would be legally compliant.’
- Mildura Rural City Council’s building surveyor Mark Yanstes testified that permits could not be issued retrospectively, forcing families to demolish or leave pools as-is.
- Stevens’ defence barrister Jim Stavris argued Stevens ‘tried to fix’ the issues and claimed his intention was to install compliant pools, citing financial difficulties in late 2017.
- ABC included specific victim quote: ‘He had multiple excuses for why he could not install the pool, including bad weather, the truck delivering the pool had broken down and ongoing legal battles with Leisure Pools.’
- ABC noted Stevens had a ‘training agreement’ with registered builder Brian McDonnell for six legally compliant pools, but McDonnell denied contact with Stevens about the six fraudulent cases.
- Stevens showed ‘little reaction’ to the verdicts, seated with his ‘eyes kept straight forward’ during the announcement.
- Prosecutor Toni Stokes asked the jury: ‘If the accused intended to comply with the legal requirements, why were there no major building contracts, no domestic building insurance, why were they not asked to complete building permits?’
- Stokes stated Stevens had ‘run into financial difficulty’ by early 2018, with bank accounts in overdraft and debts to Leisure Pools and a transport company.
- The false document charge involved a ‘doctored screenshot’ Stevens allegedly sent to a shipping company, which he admitted appeared false but claimed his ex-partner may have sent it.
- NEWSCOMAU emphasized the ‘clear conflict’ between Stevens’ claims and evidence from victims and builder Brian McDonnell, with Stokes calling him a ‘habitual liar.’
- The article highlighted that one family received a full refund and another a partial refund, while four were left out of pocket entirely.
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- ABC states Stevens’ defence argued he ‘tried to fix’ the issues and claimed his intention was to install compliant pools, while NEWSCOMAU frames this as a defensive claim with no evidence of actual attempts to rectify the problems.
- NEWSCOMAU describes Stevens as showing ‘little reaction’ to the verdicts, but ABC does not mention his demeanor during the announcement.
- ABC reports Stevens’ defence claimed he ‘started jobs thinking the permits were coming,’ while NEWSCOMAU omits this specific phrasing and focuses instead on the ongoing conflict with McDonnell’s testimony.
- NEWSCOMAU states one family received a full refund and another a partial refund, but ABC does not specify which families received refunds or the amounts.
- ABC quotes Prosecutor Toni Stokes as saying ‘the accused obtained a financial advantage by deception in that he represented he would deliver and install an in-ground pool,’ while NEWSCOMAU’s quote emphasizes the absence of contracts and insurance as key evidence of intent.
Source Articles
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