Ex-AFL player jailed for defrauding families over swimming pools

A former AFL player has been jailed for nine months after defrauding multiple families who paid him to install swimming pools.

Ex-Carlton and Port Adelaide footballer Nick Stevens, 46, was convicted by a jury on 12 charges of obtaining a financial advantage by deception and one of using a false document, and acquitted of one charge.

Stevens was on Monday sentenced in the Victorian County Court to nine months in prison, followed by a two-year community corrections order.

The former footballer was found to have stolen about $158,000 from six families in regional areas in Victoria through his pool business in 2017, leaving some with giant holes in their backyard.

While he installed six legally compliant pools under the supervision of a registered builder, Stevens then went out on his own without the required licence, registration, permits or insurance.

The court was told that Stevens took money from the families, but left some with non-compliant pools and in other instances, failed to install a pool at all.

“At the time you were paid money by the customers, you knew your representations that you had appropriate permits were false or probably false,” Judge Fiona Todd said during sentencing on Monday.

“What you did had a corrosive effect on the goodwill and trust that does so much good in a community.”

Many victims were retirees or close to retirement, with little “fat” in their budget and were trying to install pools for their children or grandchildren in the regional town of Mildura, the court was told.

Stevens, who played 231 games in the AFL until retiring in 2009 due to injury, maintains his innocence.

He pleaded not guilty to the 13 charges and took the matter to trial.

Three of his trials were discharged before a fourth jury reached its verdict in March.

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