Paid for a pool, got a hole: AFL star’s $170k scam trial collapses again
What started as a backyard pool job turned into families left staring at dirt, rubble and massive holes… and nearly eight years later, they are still waiting for answers. Former AFL player Nick Stevens is accused of pocketing more than $170,000 in a pool scam, but the case has taken another hit after a jury was discharged due to technical failures. Once again, the whole thing gets pushed back and no one gets answers.
Nick Stevens with his lawyer… as the case drags on once more. Source: Daily Mail
The case against the former Carlton and Port Adelaide player is nothing new, but the courtroom drama keeps dragging it back into the spotlight. What should have been a straightforward pool install turned into a nightmare for multiple families in Victoria, and a legal process where something always seems to go wrong at the worst possible time.
From AFL star to a backyard mess
According to prosecutors, Stevens took in around $171,000 from six families to install pools in Mildura, but in several cases the work was never finished and some of the jobs that did start were carried out illegally.
Some victims were left with defective or poorly installed pools, while others were left with nothing but giant holes in their backyards.
The prosecution claims Stevens knew he did not have the proper licences, permits or insurance to carry out the work, but still kept taking money and promising jobs that never got delivered.
“Paid for a pool… ended up with a hole in the backyard.”
Every time this case moves. It falls apart again
This is where it really started to fall apart… just when it looked like the case might finally move forward, the trial itself began to unravel.
By late February, the proceedings took a major hit when the jury was completely discharged after technical issues stopped key video evidence from being played.
The problem did not get fixed the next day either, forcing the judge to scrap the entire jury and restart the case with a new one, dragging out a process that has already been stuck in limbo for years.
Stevens himself showed frustration, calling it yet another delay in a case that he says has been hanging over him for far too long.
$170k gone… and still no one gets answers
With the trial stalled again, the case goes back to the same uncomfortable spot, allegations of taking the money and not delivering the work.
Prosecutors say Stevens took the cash without the proper approvals and that some of that money may have been used to cover other jobs instead of finishing the ones already underway. That is where things start to look really dodgy.
For now there is still no verdict. The case will restart with a new jury, the delays keep piling up… and nearly eight years later, the same question is still sitting there. Where did the money go?.
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What started as a backyard pool job turned into families left staring at dirt, rubble and massive holes… and nearly eight years later, they are still waiting for answers. Former AFL player Nick Stevens is accused of pocketing more than $170,000 in a pool scam, but the case has taken another hit after a jury was discharged due to technical failures.