Brad Murray Evans sentenced for $200k pool scam

Hopeful customers who were scammed out of more than $200,000 during a former business owner’s pool hustle won’t recover the lost funds. Read why he did it:

A former pool business owner who swindled more than $200,000 from a host of hopeful customers to fund his gambling habit has been sentenced.

Brad Murray Evans was sentenced to five years in prison in Maroochydore District Court on Monday after he pleaded guilty to fraud – dishonestly gain benefit or advantage between August 27, 2019 and February 11, 2021.

The court heard Evans operated Wide Bay Pools when he defrauded $255,878.50 from 22 customers.

Judge Bernard Porter said Evans used Facebook to advertise fibreglass swimming pools at “drastically reduced” prices and falsely reported to be aligned with reputable swimming pool companies in Queensland.

“Members of the public responded to the advertisement and interacted with you via social media, phone and text message and you in some cases attended in person and gave quotations,” he said.

“You took money from people as payment for fibreglass swimming pools which you did not supply.”

Crown prosecutor Alex Stark said the now 33-year-old, who had used the money to fund his gambling and alcohol habit, claimed he resorted to the scam after the Covid-19 pandemic fuelled cancellations and caused cash flow problems in his business.

“That submission that it’s because of business issues after Covid is difficult to reconcile for at least the fraud of $28,303.50 from two customers in August and November 2019, prior to Covid,” he said.

Mr Stark said Evans had entered an early plea of guilty and suggested a prison period of five years could be suspended after he had served a quarter.

He also told the court it was not unreasonable to impose a parole eligibility date rather than suspending the sentence.

Mr Stark said Evans had given $16,000 back to one customer however $239,873.50 wouldn’t be recovered.

The court heard Evans was convicted and sentenced to a 12-month probation order for stealing $4000 from a clothing brand he was a manager of in 2009.

Brad Murray Evans scammed $255,878.50 from hopeful customers while running Wide Bay Pools. Picture: File

Defence barrister David Crews said Evans’ gambling addiction was the catalyst behind his offending.

“He started gambling as a result of issues in a relationship which compounded with Covid where he was robbing one customer to pay another customer, but ultimately put it through the pokies and drinking,” he said.

Mr Crews said Evans’ time in custody had been difficult as he’d endured Covid-19 outbreaks, overcrowding and personal medical issues, including unexplained seizures.

He said the former businessman, who had tried to write an apology letter for his offences, was also medicated for depression.

Mr Crews asked for a five-year prison sentence to be suspended after 15 months.

He said a parole eligibility date would not give Mr Evans any certainty of release given the lengthy parole board delays.

“The delay in attaining parole would erode his early plea of guilty,” he said.

Mr Crews said Evans’ pool business was genuine in some cases and was not set up solely for fraud purposes.

Judge Bernard Porter noted Evans’ gambling, alcohol addictions and other psychological difficulties identified in a report had not been addressed.

“I don’t believe it would be a proper exercise of my discretion to suspend the sentence and leave Mr Evans to re-enter the community unsupervised,” he said.

“His willingness and ability to steal very large amounts of money … has been demonstrated.”

Mr Porter said he had to consider the protection of hard working Australians and would reflect Evans’ early plea by imposing a modest period of actual imprisonment before allowing parole.

A parole eligibility date was set at June 7, 2022.

Evans’ 330 days of pre-sentence custody was marked as time already served.