Nick Stevens jailed over swimming pool fraud

Landscaper, unlicensed pool builder and former AFL footballer Nick Stevens has been sentenced to nine months jail for deceptively charging people for pools they never received.

He was found guilty of 12 counts of obtaining a financial advantage by deception and one charge of using a false document in defrauding six Mildura families of $171,000 for incomplete or undelivered swimming pools.

At his pre-sentencing hearing, the court heard Stevens had spent six months in jail for domestic violence offences in 2015. It also heard his fraudulent actions had resulted in a marriage breakdown for one of the families involved, and that other victims had been left financially crippled.

In sentencing, County Court judge Fiona Todd told Stevens he exploited the good nature and trust of his victims, offering them false reassurance. He never lodged a permit application for the pools, nor sought a building contract, insurance or oversight from a registered builder.

Despite his lawyers arguing for a community corrections order, the prosecutors said he had shown no remorse, and prison time was warranted. The judge considered the repeated nature of the conduct, the amount of money obtained, and the consequences for the victims in sentencing him, but also said he had prospects for rehabilitation.

Stevens will begin a two-year community corrections order after he is released in December.

IMAGE: AdobeStock, illustrative only