Former AFL player Nick Stevens has been found guilty of 14 fraud offences after four trials. Photo: Michael Currie/AAP PHOTOS
Former AFL player Nick Stevens has been locked up after a jury found him guilty of defrauding multiple families with his regional pool business.
The ex-Carlton and Port Adelaide footballer was found guilty of obtaining financial advantage by deception in Victoria’s County Court on Monday in a fourth trial after three earlier ones were abandoned.
Stevens, 46, was accused of defrauding six families in Mildura, in Victoria’s north, a total of $171,000, prosecutors told a jury in Melbourne.
Nick Stevens was accused of defrauding six families with his pool business. (Michael Currie/AAP PHOTOS)
Prosecutors said Stevens did not install the pools legally and built them with faults such as cracks or failed to install a pool at all, leaving “giant holes in their backyards”.
Stevens pleaded not guilty to 18 offences including theft, obtaining financial advantage by deception and using a false document, and took the matter to trial.
His first trial in May 2025 was aborted after the judge excused themselves from it, with a second trial starting earlier this year.
However, jurors were discharged from that trial one day after openings, on February 25, over issues with evidence.
A third jury was empanelled, but they were again discharged on March 5.
Prosecutor Toni Stokes said Stevens installed six legally compliant pools under the supervision of a registered builder, but then went out on his own without the required licence, registration, permits or insurance.
She said he took money from six families, promising to install pools in their backyards, but none of them were legally compliant.
Nick Stevens played 231 games for Port Adelaide and Carlton in the AFL. (Martin Philbey/AAP PHOTOS)
Jurors in his fourth trial returned with a verdict on Monday after retiring to deliberate about their decision on March 25.
Stevens was found guilty of 13 charges of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception and one charge of using a false document.
He was found not guilty of one further charge of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage for an alleged $3000 deception.
Judge Fiona Todd thanked jurors for their assistance as she sent them home.
Stevens, who had been on bail, was taken into custody after the verdict as Ms Stokes said he was now “very likely” to be facing a reasonable prison term at sentence.
He will return to court for a pre-sentence hearing on May 21.
Stevens played 231 games for Port Adelaide and Carlton across 12 years in the AFL, before retiring in 2009.
Australian Associated Press
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