Nick Stevens locked up after jury finds former AFL player guilty in pool fraud case
nick stevens was taken into custody after a jury in Victoria’s County Court found him guilty of defrauding multiple families through his regional pool business. The verdict came after jurors retired to deliberate on March 25 (ET). The case centres on work in Mildura and allegations that customers were left out of pocket and without legally compliant pools.
Nick Stevens: verdict, charges and immediate custody
The jury returned guilty verdicts on 13 charges of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception and one charge of using a false document, the court recorded. He was found not guilty on one additional charge relating to an alleged $3, 000 deception. Judge Fiona Todd thanked jurors and then ordered that Stevens be taken into custody after the verdict.
Prosecutor Toni Stokes told the court the accused had taken money from six families in Mildura totaling $171, 000 and did not install legally compliant pools, leaving some sites with major defects and others with no pool at all. Ms Stokes said the work did not have the required licences, registration, permits or insurance once Stevens left supervised work and operated on his own.
Courtroom exchanges, defence and prosecution claims
In closing, Ms Stokes said that Stevens had been trained and had installed pools under supervision before stepping out independently, and she told jurors: “The answer, ladies and gentlemen, is simple. The accused never intended to install legally compliant swimming pools for these complainants, he deceived them for his own gain. “
Defence barrister Jim Stavris argued that Stevens entered into agreements believing he could complete the work and obtain permits, saying, “He started jobs thinking the permits were coming … If his intention was not to do the job properly and just take their money he would have taken their money and run. ” The jury rejected the defence on the majority of counts.
The trial in the County Court followed three earlier attempts to proceed: the first trial in May 2025 (ET) was aborted after the judge excused themselves; a second trial was halted when jurors were discharged on February 25 (ET) over evidence issues; a third jury was discharged on March 5 (ET) before the fourth jury delivered the guilty verdict.
Background in Mildura and what the court heard
Prosecutors outlined that the work at the centre of the case began in 2017 when Stevens, while working as a distributor for Leisure Pools, took on pool installations in Mildura. By early 2018, the court was told, Stevens had stopped working on the projects and some properties were left in various states of incomplete work. Mildura Council issued stop-work orders during the projects because permits were not in place, the jury heard.
Court materials noted one family received a full refund and another a partial refund, while four remained out of pocket. The charge of using a false document related to an allegedly doctored screenshot sent to a shipping company that purported to show a funds transfer for one delivery; Stevens accepted the screenshot appeared false but disputed that he sent it.
What happens next and the sentence timeline
Stevens, who had been on bail until the verdict, will return to the County Court for a pre-sentence hearing on May 21 (ET). Prosecutor Toni Stokes said the defendant was now “very likely” to be facing a reasonable prison term at sentence. The court will set a date for full sentencing after the pre-sentence proceeding.
The matter leaves the six Mildura families awaiting final resolution as the court moves toward sentencing. The name nick stevens will appear again at the pre-sentence listing when the judge considers the appropriate penalty in light of the jury’s guilty verdicts.
