Former AFL player Nick Stevens convicted of fraud in pool installation scheme
Consensus Summary
A jury in Victoria’s County Court found former AFL player Nick Stevens guilty of 13 fraud-related charges after he defrauded six families in Mildura out of $171000 for pools they never received or received illegally. Stevens, who played 231 AFL games for Port Adelaide and Carlton between 1998 and 2009, was working as a Leisure Pools distributor and operating a landscaping business when he allegedly took money from customers in 2017–2018 without intending to install legally compliant pools. Prosecutors proved he knew permits were required but continued work after stop-work orders from Mildura Council, leaving victims with unfinished pools or financial losses. Stevens was remanded into custody ahead of sentencing in May, with his defense arguing he initially intended to comply but faced financial difficulties. Both sources agree on the core facts—guilty verdicts, the $171000 total, and the role of permits—but differ slightly on his age, financial details, and specific defense claims.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Nick Stevens, 46, was found guilty of 12 counts of obtaining a financial advantage by deception and 1 charge of using a false document in the County Court of Victoria on Monday, April 2024
- Stevens was acquitted on 1 charge of obtaining a financial advantage by deception relating to the first victim’s part-payment in 2017
- The fraud involved six families in Mildura, Victoria, who paid Stevens a total of approximately $171,000 for pools they never received or received illegally
- Stevens worked as a distributor for Leisure Pools and operated a landscaping business while allegedly defrauding customers between 2017 and 2018
- Judge Fiona Todd remanded Stevens into custody, rejecting his barrister Jim Stavris’ request to extend bail ahead of a pre-sentence hearing on May 21, 2024
- Mildura Council issued stop-work orders for Stevens’ pool installations in 2017 due to lack of permits, with the first order issued in May 2017
- Stevens pleaded not guilty to all 14 charges and was charged in 2019, with the case delayed by three aborted trials
- Prosecutor Toni Stokes alleged Stevens never intended to install legally compliant pools, despite having prior experience with compliant installations under Brian McDonnell’s supervision
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Stevens’ barrister Jim Stavris argued Stevens ‘showed little reaction’ to the verdicts, with Stevens ‘seated in the dock with his eyes kept straight forward’
- The false document charge related to a doctored screenshot Stevens allegedly sent to a shipping company, falsely showing he had transferred funds for a pool delivery; Stevens denied sending it but accepted the screenshot was false
- Stevens claimed he believed permits would be issued after final approvals and had clients sign forms to apply for permits, which he sent to Brian McDonnell’s company Bricol
- Judge Fiona Todd summarized the jury’s task as determining whether Stevens ‘knew that representation was false or was probably false at the time he made it’
- Prosecutor Toni Stokes stated Stevens was a ‘habitual liar’ and accused him of a ‘clear conflict’ between his claims and evidence from victims and Brian McDonnell
- Stevens’ financial difficulties included overdrawn bank accounts and outstanding debts to Leisure Pools and a transport company by early 2018
- ABC included a photograph caption noting Stevens’ age as 45 (contradicting NEWSCOMAU’s 46)
- ABC highlighted victim Ben Knight’s statement that Stevens provided multiple excuses, including ‘bad weather’ and ‘the truck delivering the pool had broken down’
- ABC emphasized that pool permits could not be issued retrospectively, forcing families to either demolish pools or leave them incomplete
- ABC noted Stevens had previously coached SANFL club Glenelg between 1998 and 2009 (not mentioned in NEWSCOMAU)
- ABC included a direct quote from the prosecution about families receiving ‘not permitted pools, giant holes in their backyards, or nothing at all’
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- NEWSCOMAU states Stevens is 46, while ABC states he is 45
- NEWSCOMAU describes Stevens as ‘showing little reaction’ to the verdicts, while ABC does not mention his demeanor during the verdicts
- NEWSCOMAU claims Stevens suggested his ex-partner may have sent the false document screenshot, while ABC does not mention this detail
- NEWSCOMAU states Stevens had run into financial difficulty by early 2018 and had outstanding debts to Leisure Pools and a transport company, but ABC does not specify these debts
- NEWSCOMAU mentions Stevens’ prior experience installing six legally compliant pools under Brian McDonnell’s supervision was ‘ongoing and never terminated,’ while ABC does not include this phrasing
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