Former AFL player Nick Stevens convicted of fraud in pool installation scheme
Consensus Summary
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 illegally built. The 45–46-year-old, who played 231 AFL games for Carlton and Port Adelaide, was found guilty on 13 counts (12 for deception, 1 for using a false document) but acquitted on one charge related to the first victim’s initial payment. Prosecutors alleged Stevens, running a landscaping business and dealing with Leisure Pools, knowingly misled families by promising legally compliant pools without permits, contracts, or insurance. Council stop-work orders in 2017–2018 exposed the fraud, leaving victims with unfinished holes or illegal pools. Stevens’ defence argued he initially intended to comply but faced financial difficulties, though prosecutors dismissed his claims as inconsistent with evidence. Both sources agree on the core facts—guilty verdicts, bail denial, and the scale of the scam—but differ on specifics like Stevens’ emotional reaction, the nature of his Leisure Pools agreement, and the prosecution’s characterization of his credibility. Stevens remains in custody pending sentencing in May.
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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 was acquitted on 1 charge of obtaining a financial advantage by deception relating to the first victim’s part-payment.
- 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, 45–46 years old, played 231 AFL matches between 1998 and 2009 for Carlton and Port Adelaide, later coaching SANFL’s Glenelg.
- Judge Fiona Todd remanded Stevens in custody until his May 21 plea hearing, rejecting bail extensions argued by his barrister Jim Stavris.
- Mildura Rural City Council issued stop-work orders on Stevens’ pool sites in 2017–2018 due to lack of building permits, leaving families with unfinished or illegal pools.
- Stevens ran a landscaping business and had a dealership agreement with Leisure Pools to sell and install pools during the alleged fraud (2017).
- Victim Ben Knight paid Stevens over $30,000 for a pool he never received, citing excuses like bad weather and legal disputes with Leisure Pools.
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Prosecutor Toni Stokes stated the six families were left with ‘[not permitted] pools, giant holes in their backyards, or nothing at all’.
- Mildura Rural City Council’s building surveyor Mark Yanstes testified that private building surveyors had not received paperwork before work began on Stevens’ jobs.
- Stevens’ defence argued he tried to ‘fix’ the issues by attempting to obtain permits after starting work, claiming he believed permits would come later.
- ABC included a quote from a second prosecutor, Tracey Nearmy, reiterating the 12 guilty counts and one false document charge.
- ABC specified Stevens’ bank accounts were in overdraft and he had outstanding debts to Leisure Pools and a transport company by early 2018.
- Stevens showed ‘little reaction’ to the verdicts, seated with his eyes ‘straight forward’ in the dock.
- 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 explicitly called Stevens a ‘habitual liar’ during closing arguments, stating ‘there was a clear conflict’ between his claims and evidence.
- Newscomaau noted Stevens claimed his ex-partner may have sent the doctored screenshot (false document charge) rather than himself.
- The article emphasized Stevens had previously installed six legally compliant pools under a training agreement with Brian McDonnell (Bricol), arguing this proved his capability.
- Newscomaau highlighted that one family received a full refund and another a partial refund, while four were left out of pocket.
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- ABC states Stevens ‘had also entered into a dealership agreement with a company called Leisure Pools to sell pools,’ while Newscomaau only mentions he was a ‘distributor’ for Leisure Pools.
- ABC reports Stevens’ defence argued he ‘tried to fix them’ by attempting permits after starting work, but Newscomaau frames this as Stevens claiming permits would come ‘after the final approvals’ without proactive effort.
- ABC does not mention Stevens’ alleged lack of reaction to the verdicts (eyes forward, no visible reaction), which Newscomaau explicitly describes.
- Newscomaau quotes Toni Stokes calling Stevens a ‘habitual liar’ during closing arguments, while ABC does not include this direct accusation.
- ABC states Stevens’ bank accounts were in overdraft and he had ‘outstanding debts to Leisure Pools and a transport company,’ but Newscomaau only mentions debts to Leisure Pools and does not specify the transport company.
Source Articles
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