Former AFL player Nick Stevens convicted of fraud in pool installation scheme
Consensus Summary
A former AFL player Nick Stevens was convicted on April 2024 of fraudulently taking $171000 from six Mildura families who hired him to install pools that were never legally completed. Both sources confirm Stevens was found guilty of 12 counts of deception and one false document charge, with a single acquittal on the first victimâs part-payment. The scheme involved Stevens lacking permits, halting work after financial troubles in late 2017, and allegedly using a doctored screenshot to cover his tracks. Prosecutors argued he had prior experience with compliant installations but deliberately avoided permits, while his defence claimed he believed permits would follow. Stevens, 45â46, faces custody until a May 21 sentencing hearing after judges rejected bail extensions. Victims like Ben Knight reported excuses for delays, with some left with unfinished backyard holes or illegal pools. Contradictions include age discrepancies, specifics on his financial debts, and minor variations in judicial remarks.
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 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 victimâs part-payment in 2017
- The fraud involved six customers in Mildura, Victoria, who paid Stevens a total of approximately $171,000 for pool installations that were never legally completed or delivered
- Stevens worked as a distributor for Leisure Pools and operated a pool installation business in 2017, despite lacking proper building permits for the projects
- Judge Fiona Todd remanded Stevens into custody, rejecting his barrister Jim Stavrisâ request to extend bail ahead of a pre-sentence hearing on May 21, 2024
- Mildura Council issued stop-work orders for Stevensâ pool installations in 2017 due to missing 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 supervision
- Stevensâ financial difficulties in late 2017 included overdrawn bank accounts and outstanding debts to Leisure Pools and a transport company
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Stevensâ barrister Jim Stavris argued prosecutors would likely secure a âreasonableâ jail term, prompting Judge Fiona Todd to remand him into custody
- 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 deliveryâhe denied sending it but admitted the screenshot appeared 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 registered builder Brian McDonnellâs company Bricol
- Prosecutor Toni Stokes accused Stevens of being a âhabitual liarâ and highlighted a âclear conflictâ between his testimony and evidence from victims and McDonnell
- Judge Fiona Todd framed the juryâs central question as whether Stevens âknowingly made false representationsâ about delivering legally compliant pools at the time of agreements
- ABC included a photograph caption noting Stevensâ age as 45 (compared to NEWSCOMAUâs 46)
- ABC emphasized Stevensâ prior coaching role at SANFL club Glenelg (not mentioned in 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 specified Stevens was running a landscaping business alongside his Leisure Pools dealership role
- ABC noted pool permits could not be issued retrospectively, forcing families to either demolish pools or leave them incomplete
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- NEWSCOMAU states Stevensâ age as 46, while ABC reports his age as 45
- NEWSCOMAU describes Stevens as a âformer Carlton vice-captainâ with 231 AFL games, but ABC does not emphasize his vice-captain role
- NEWSCOMAU claims Stevensâ ex-partner may have sent the false document screenshot, while ABC does not mention this possibility
- NEWSCOMAU states Stevensâ bank accounts were in overdraft and he had debts to Leisure Pools *and* a transport company, but ABC only mentions debts to Leisure Pools
- NEWSCOMAU includes Judge Fiona Toddâs remark that Stevensâ bail should not be extended due to a âvery likelyâ jail term, while ABC omits this specific phrasing
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