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 Mildura families out of $170,000–$171,000 by promising to install swimming pools he never delivered or illegally constructed. The 45–46-year-old, who played 231 AFL games for Carlton and Port Adelaide, was found guilty on 13 counts after a jury rejected his defence that he initially intended to comply with legal requirements. Prosecutors proved Stevens knew pool installations required permits and contracts but avoided them entirely, leaving victims with unfinished projects or illegal pools. Both sources agree on the core facts—Stevens’ conviction, the six victims, the lack of permits, and his financial troubles by 2018—but differ slightly on his age, the specifics of his defence arguments, and the phrasing of prosecutor Toni Stokes’ closing remarks. Stevens remains in custody pending sentencing, with prosecutors expecting a ‘reasonable’ jail term.
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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 six victims were left with either unfinished pools, giant holes in their backyards, or no pools at all, with only one family receiving a full refund and another a partial refund.
- Stevens ran a landscaping business and had a dealership agreement with Leisure Pools to sell and install pools between 2017–2018.
- Mildura Rural City Council issued stop-work orders on Stevens’ pool installations due to lack of permits, with the first order in May 2017.
- Nick Stevens played 231 AFL matches between 1998 and 2009 for Carlton and Port Adelaide, later coaching SANFL’s Glenelg.
- Prosecutor Toni Stokes argued Stevens knew the legal requirements for pool installations but deliberately avoided permits and contracts.
- Stevens’ defence barrister, Jim Stavris, claimed Stevens initially intended to install legally compliant pools but faced financial difficulties in late 2017.
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Former Carlton vice-captain Nick Stevens (45) was described as having played 231 AFL matches between 1998–2009 and coached SANFL’s Glenelg.
- Victim Ben Knight specifically stated he paid Stevens over $30,000 for a pool he never received, citing excuses like bad weather and legal battles with Leisure Pools.
- Judge Fiona Todd’s exact words were quoted: ‘unconvinced Stevens’ bail should be extended’ during the bail hearing.
- Mildura Rural City Council’s building surveyor Mark Yanstes was named as testifying that permits were not retrospectively allowed, forcing families to demolish or leave pools as-is.
- The false document charge involved a doctored screenshot Stevens allegedly sent to a shipping company, which he claimed could have been sent by his ex-partner.
- Stevens showed ‘little reaction’ to the verdicts, seated in the dock 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?’
- Stevens claimed he had prior experience installing six legally compliant pools under a training agreement with registered builder Brian McDonnell, but McDonnell testified he had no contact with Stevens about the six families’ pools.
- Stevens’ defence argued his prior arrangement with McDonnell ‘was ongoing and never terminated,’ despite McDonnell’s evidence to the contrary.
- 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.’
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- ABC states Stevens was 45 years old at the time of conviction, while NEWSCOMAU reports he was 46.
- ABC reports Stevens was found not guilty on one charge of obtaining financial advantage by deception (first victim), but NEWSCOMAU does not mention this acquittal explicitly in its summary of verdicts.
- ABC quotes Stevens’ defence as saying he ‘tried to fix’ the victims by attempting to resolve issues, while NEWSCOMAU’s defence argument focuses on Stevens’ claim that he ‘started jobs thinking the permits were coming.’
- NEWSCOMAU describes Stevens as ‘a habitual liar’ in prosecutor Toni Stokes’ closing address, but ABC does not include this exact phrasing—only that Stokes argued Stevens was not truthful.
- ABC mentions Stevens had outstanding debts to Leisure Pools and a transport company for pools already delivered by early 2018, while NEWSCOMAU does not specify the transport company’s role in the financial difficulties.
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