Teacher jailed for frenzied knife attack on high school principal
Updated ,first published
The teacher who carried out a crazy knife attack on the principal, whose contract was not renewed, was sentenced to more than a year in prison.
Kim Ramchen pleaded guilty to assault with a weapon, unlawful assault and causing injury with intent in connection with an incident at Keysborough Secondary School last year when staff intervened to save Aaron Sykes.
Judge Tim Bourke told Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Monday that the 37-year-old’s offense was particularly serious because it occurred in a school environment.
“The crime occurred in a safe place, a place that should be safe not only for students but also for workers and the wider school community,” he said.
Principal Sykes paid tribute to the staff who acted without hesitation to get between him and the attacker.
“Their courage and professionalism in an extremely difficult situation was extraordinary,” he said in a statement.
Sykes said those who helped included a member of the library staff who provided first aid to the director, an assistant director who responded and someone from the operations staff who put himself in harm’s way.
“It’s important to know that in moments like these, people step forward with courage and care. I’m deeply grateful to them.”
The principal, who has not yet returned to work, said he has received messages of support from across the state and even the country.
“I was overwhelmed by the messages of support from students, including heartfelt cards and letters. They were all particularly meaningful and will stay with me.”
He said his focus is now on the future, which he is deeply passionate about.
Judge Bourke noted that Ramchen was only four years old when his mother disappeared and his father died when he was 14.
Slavik “Vic” Ramchen was suspected of being involved in his wife’s disappearance, but died of pancreatic cancer in 2002 after the charges against him were withdrawn.
Kim Ramchen was raised by siblings who described her as “quirky” and said the attack on Sykes was “disturbing and shocking”.
Bourke said the former teacher was under serious pressure at the time of the attack. He was having marital problems, his employment contract wasn’t being renewed, and he had an opioid addiction.
The IT teacher had retrieved a 10cm knife from the staff kitchen of a high school in Melbourne’s south-east on December 2 last year before entering the principal’s office where Sykes was alone.
The court heard Ramchen attacked the manager by holding the knife to his throat.
The two wrestled to the ground, with Sykes shouting “But I didn’t do anything.”
Other teachers ran into the office, where they saw Ramchen kneeling on top of Sykes and trying to stab him with a knife.
Two teachers managed to pull the 37-year-old student off Sykes but the IT teacher escaped and returned to the nearby kitchen, where he grabbed a larger chef’s knife.
The school was quarantined and emergency services were called, but a bloodied Sykes was unable to lock his office.
Ramchen returned and, along with three others, including the school’s vice principal, attacked Sykes again and restrained him until authorities arrived.
Following his arrest, the teacher told police that he “lost his mind” after learning his contract at the school would not be renewed and intended to neutralize the principal.
Before moving into teaching, he worked as a software engineer, cybersecurity researcher, and teacher in the engineering department of the University of Melbourne in the United States.
A doctor who examined Ramchen said the teacher “believed he had been treated unfairly and thought the principal was mainly responsible.”
Ramchen, who was sentenced to 15 months in prison with a non-parole period of eight months and 14 days, will be eligible for parole in just over three months when his term expires.
The Department for Education said it continues to work closely with the school on the “shocking incident” to ensure it can access all the health supports needed.
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Caroline Schelle is an education reporter and joined The Age in 2022. He had previously served in courts in AAP.Connect with: X or email.
