Former AFL player Nick Stevens convicted of fraud in pool installation scheme
Consensus Summary
A former AFL player Nick Stevens was convicted in April 2024 of fraudulently taking $171000 from six families in Mildura, Victoria, who paid for pool installations he never completed. Stevens, who played for Port Adelaide and Carlton, was found guilty on 13 counts of deception and one false document charge after a jury trial, with only one charge dismissed. Prosecutors alleged he knowingly failed to obtain permits or legally compliant pools, leaving victims with unfinished projects or financial losses, while his defence argued he initially intended to complete the work. Judge Fiona Todd remanded Stevens into custody pending sentencing in May, citing expectations of a jail term. Both sources agree on the core facts but differ slightly on his age, acquittal specifics, and procedural details like bail arguments and witness testimony.
â 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 Victoriaâs County Court on April 2024.
- Stevens was charged in 2019 for defrauding six customers of his pool installation business in Mildura, Victoria, between 2017 and 2018, totaling $171,000.
- He pleaded not guilty to all 14 fraud-related charges but was acquitted on only one count relating to the first victimâs part-payment.
- Stevens worked as a distributor for Leisure Pools and installed pools in Mildura while facing financial difficulties, including overdraft bank accounts and outstanding debts to Leisure Pools and a transport company.
- Judge Fiona Todd remanded Stevens into custody ahead of a pre-sentence hearing on May 21, 2024, citing a likely âreasonableâ jail term.
- Mildura Council issued stop-work orders for Stevensâ pool installations due to missing permits, with the first order issued in May 2017.
- Prosecutor Toni Stokes alleged Stevens never intended to install legally compliant pools, despite having prior experience with compliant installations under Brian McDonnellâs supervision.
- Four of the six victims were left out of pocket, while one received a full refund and another a partial refund.
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Stevensâ barrister Jim Stavris argued he should remain on bail, but Judge Fiona Todd said she was âunconvincedâ and remanded him into custody.
- Stevens allegedly sent a doctored screenshot to a shipping company falsely showing he had transferred funds for a pool delivery, which he denied sending but claimed could have been sent by his ex-partner.
- 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 for processing.
- Prosecutor Toni Stokes described Stevens as a âhabitual liarâ and accused him of a âclear conflictâ between his claims and witness evidence.
- The case involved three aborted trials due to unspecified reasons before reaching a verdict in 2024.
- ABC included a photograph caption noting Stevensâ age as 45 (contradicting NEWSCOMAUâs 46), though both sources agree on his birth year.
- ABC emphasized that Stevensâ landscaping business was active alongside his Leisure Pools dealership agreement, without additional detail from NEWSCOMAU.
- ABC quoted victim Ben Knight, who paid Stevens over $30,000 for a pool he never received, detailing excuses like âbad weatherâ and âtruck breakdownsâ.
- ABC highlighted that pool permits could not be issued retrospectively, forcing families to either demolish pools or leave them incomplete.
- ABC did not mention the doctored screenshot incident or Stevensâ ex-partnerâs potential involvement, focusing more on the victimsâ financial losses.
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- NEWSCOMAU states Stevens is 46 years old, while ABC states he is 45 years old.
- NEWSCOMAU reports Stevens was acquitted on one charge relating to the *first part-payment* made by the first victim, while ABC simply states he was acquitted on one charge relating to the *first victim* without specifying the payment context.
- NEWSCOMAU includes details about Stevensâ prior legally compliant pool installations under Brian McDonnellâs supervision, while ABC does not mention this arrangement in the same depth.
- ABC does not mention the juryâs deliberation summary by Judge Fiona Todd regarding the âcentral questionâ of whether Stevens knew his representations were false at the time.
- NEWSCOMAU explicitly states Stevensâ barrister Jim Stavris argued Stevensâ bail should be extended âahead of a pre-sentence hearing in May,â while ABC omits the exact timing of the plea hearing beyond âMayâ.
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