‘Struggling’ Duncan Storrar’s crowd-funding campaign halted as criminal past exposed

A FUNDRAISING campaign for Geelong battler Duncan Storrar has been suspended as details of the Q&A star’s criminal history emerge.

A FUNDRAISING campaign for Geelong battler Duncan Storrar has been suspended as details of the star Q&A audience member’s criminal history emerge.

The 45-year-old welfare recipient shot to public recognition pleading for a tax break from his seat in the audience of Monday night’s ABC broadcast.

In the days since, Mr Storrar has been held up as a “national hero” and has had more than $60,000 donated to an online campaign promising to direct the funds his way.

But with questions beginning to be asked over where exactly that money is going, some less favourable details of Mr Storrar’s past have been exposed.

Speaking with the fundraiser’s organisers, Mr Storrar has said he is “freaked out” by the attention, and is struggling to cope.

In reports published today, The Australian and the Herald Sun claim to expose the man in the middle of an unexpected media storm as a “thug”, digging out his 20-page rap sheet.

Details of prison terms, multiple counts of kill threats, assault convictions and breaches of intervention orders by Mr Storrar have been published.

His son, Aztec Major, spoke of visiting his father in jail, and said his mother was frightened of him.

Earlier this week the 20-year-old told The Australian his father had battled a drug addiction, and that he wanted the public to know what kind of person his father was.

The revelations follow exposes of how Mr Storrar pays no net tax, relies on welfare benefits, and lives at home with his mother.

His son said Mr Storrar shouldn’t be trusted with a large sum of money.

Though thousands of Australians have already banded behind Mr Storrar, donating cash and posting encouraging comments for the man they see as “a good bloke”, the pair who began the cash drive appear to be having second thoughts.

In an update on the GoFundMe page set up to raise money for Duncan, campaigners Nicholas Oliver and Sam Fawcett yesterday asked donations to be halted.

The pair said they had been in touch with Mr Storrar, who was “freaked out” by the media storm he unintentionally launched.

“It turns out being in the middle of a media storm can be tough. We heard from Duncan today. He has told us that he is struggling with attention and plans to take some time away. His privacy should be respected,” they wrote.

“He also said he is feeling a bit ‘freaked out’ but wants you all to know he is safe and really appreciates the giving.”

The pair also acknowledged there had been multiple queries about how the money raised, which currently stands at $60,051, would be managed, and said these were “legitimate questions”.

“We have now been in touch with a couple of community service organisations in Victoria asking for assistance establishing a framework to manage your donations,” they said.

“The key thing is that the money gets to Duncan (or the charities/community support groups he chooses to nominate) in the most appropriate way. We can assure you this will be done legally, transparently and in the spirit of why the funds were given.

“As soon as we can provide more detail, we will.”

Though the campaign page remains visible, visitors who click the big, orange ‘donate now’ button are advised “the organiser has stopped donations”.

The fundraisers last night advised visitors to the page they would no longer be accepting payments for Mr Storrar.

“We also reckon it’s time to put a halt on any more donations,” they said.

“It turns out there’s no limit to Australians’ generosity, but there is a limit to our ability to manage your contributions.”

More than 2300 Australians were moved to dig deep for Mr Storrar when he appeared on the ABC program earlier this week pleading with Assistant Treasurer Kelly O’Dwyer to lift he tax-free threshold for people on minimum wage like himself.

“I’ve got a disability and a low education, that means I’ve spent my whole life working for minimum wage,” he said.

“Rich people don’t even notice their tax-free threshold life. Why don’t I get it? Why do they get it?”

Mr Oliver yesterday told news.com.au Mr Storrar was “so moved” by the generous donations, and planned to direct some of the money towards a woman who had reached out to him who is in a “worse situation than he is”.

Mr Storrar’s supporters have been unfazed by revelations about his past and questions as to how their donations will be spent.

“I give zero f***s whether he is who or what he claims to be, or whether he spends the money on hookers and VB,” one man wrote.

Another said: “I didn’t donate to Duncan with an agenda on how it was to be spent ... as far as I am concerned he can take his girls to the Gold Coast for the weekend and splurge the lot.”

News.com.au has attempted to reach Mr Storrar for comment.

Originally published as ‘Struggling’ Duncan Storrar’s crowd-funding campaign halted as criminal past exposed