Ex-Scotch scholar accuses school of ignoring trauma after being groomed by paedophile

Former Scotch College student Michael Kruse said the elite school dismissed his claims of grooming by a pedophilic teacher, using complex legal avenues to delay his case.

Former Scotch College student Michael Kruse has accused the college of re-traumatising him after taking six years to dismiss a claim of compensation for abuse. Picture: Ian Currie

A Scotch College old scholar who was groomed by a notorious paedophile, and physically assaulted by another student, has accused the school of callously ignoring his trauma.

A Melbourne father-of-one, Michael Kruse, said the elite school retraumatised him by relying on a secret psychiatrist’s report to dismiss his claims and used complex legal avenues to delay an outcome for six years.

Such tactics used by many churches and schools were soundly condemned by the Royal Commission into Child Abuse.

It comes as the Presbyterian Church school has come under fire for the stance of church leaders, who have said gay and sexually active students should not be school captains.

Mr Kruse’s claim was for a vicious punch thrown by another student that left him semi-conscious, bloodied and with a broken nose. The punch, which was thrown just minutes before Mr Kruse sat a year 11 exam, followed months of vicious bullying and stalking ignored by the school.

Mr Kruse was one of dozens of former students who came forward to discuss historical abuse allegations to former principal Tom Batty in 2015. Picture: Ian Currie

Mr Kruse said he suffered intense shame, isolation, paranoia, depression and anxiety as a result of the unprovoked attack and bullying and went on to fail year 12.

“I was in a black hole and stayed in my room for three or four months,” he told psychiatrist Dr Gregory White.

Dr White in 2018 diagnosed him with a post-traumatic stress disorder.

Mr Kruse was also groomed by former Scotch College geography teacher Michael Achurch in 1979, only fully understanding the paedophile’s overly attentive treatment of him years later when other claims surfaced.

“The teacher regularly singled me out in class, focused on me and showered me with unwanted and strange attention – offering me extra special help outside the classroom,” Mr Kruse said.

Mr Kruse was one of dozens of former students who responded to an invitation from former principal Tom Batty in 2015 to come forward with allegations of historical abuse.

He met with Mr Batty and “was led to believe the school sincerely wanted to help”.

But the school then followed a complicated, expensive and traumatic path, insisting on Mr Kruse obtaining numerous medico-legal reports. Without his knowledge, the school also instructed well-known psychiatrist Dr Tim Entwistle to prepare an additional report.

Without interviewing Mr Kruse, Dr Entwistle concluded the diagnosis of PTSD was flawed and overstated.

Scotch College released a statement saying they were informed of Mr Kruse’s incident in 2015. Picture: Glenn Daniels

Finally in February 2021, the school told Mr Kruse his claim for $99,000, including legal costs, had been rejected.

Mr Kruse wrote to the school’s council, then led by former federal MP David Kemp, saying that “many Old Boys … were abused, neglected, demoralised and often shamefully later forced into legal recourse to find justice”.

In 2018, the school was dealing with 69 claims of historic abuse. The 2020 Scotch College financial report (the latest available) states there is no way to assess potential liability for the settling of future claims for historic abuse.

A statement from Scotch College said the school “was informed about this historic incident in 2015.

“The School had no information about the matter raised by Mr Kruse. The Principal of the school at the time met with Mr Kruse and offered him a personal apology for any distress he may have experienced in 1981”.

Mr Kruse said he was supported during his school days by then principal Philip Roff.

He said the school “must first resolve its past – good or otherwise – issues of governance before moving freely forward with its future”.