A teacher charged over the alleged stabbing of his principal has told a court he’s too mentally ill to face trial.
Kim Ramchen, 37, of Mulgrave, is accused of stabbing Keysborough Secondary School principal Aaron Sykes last December after his contract wasn’t renewed.
Police allege Ramchen, a married father of one, twice attacked Mr Sykes with separate knives and was only stopped by the bravery of assistant principal Matt Sloan.
On Tuesday, Ramchen’s lawyer Ruth Parker told Dandenong Magistrates’ Court he could be unfit to plead due to a cocktail of mental woes.
Additionally, the court heard Ramchen was also looking at a defence based on mental impairment.
A psychologist’s report diagnosed the teacher with autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenic spectrum disorder featuring ’emerging and receding psychotic symptoms,’ and post-traumatic stress disorder.
It was further noted Ramchen’s family provided key medical history, painting a picture of a man with ‘unusual features’ in his presentation.
But while initial reports indicate Ramchen could suffer from undiagnosed mental issues, his behaviour behind bars has not warranted action from forensic psychiatrists.
Kim Ramchen is facing serious charges
Keysborough Secondary College principal Aaron Sykes was allegedly stabbed by Kim Ramchen
Forensicare, the state’s mental health service, rejected an inpatient assessment order.
The agency emailed defence lawyers the night before Tuesday’s hearing, advising Ramchen ‘does not meet the criteria’.
Ramchen’s defence is now seeking the opinions of private doctors in an effort to progress the case.
Ms Parker said she was reluctant to take Ramchen’s legal instructions without a doctor declaring he was mentally well enough to provide them.
Any such assessment could take up to six weeks.
‘We’re doing everything we can as quickly as we can, but it is what it is,’ Ms Parker said.
Ramchen’s bid for bail in December failed after Magistrate Andrew Waters slammed a lack of psychological evidence and deemed him an ‘extreme’ re-offending risk.
Police allege Ramchen confessed to them about snapping over his job loss.
‘I’ve never been so angry in my life,’ police allege Ramchen said.
Keysborough Secondary School after the alleged attack
During that hearing, the court heard Ramchen described his actions as ‘incredibly violent’ and that he wasn’t able to control his emotions.
‘When asked if he was remorseful, the applicant stated it was just lucky people came in,’ Sgt Chris Marlow said.
The detective told the court Ramchen stormed out of his classroom at 3pm and launched at his boss with a knife.
‘The applicant entered through a rear door and made his way to the kitchen where he selected a small kitchen knife, approximately four inches in length, from the drawer and he made his way towards the principal’s office,’ he said.
Mr Sykes suffered a slash wound to his face and a stab wound to the forearm before Ramchen allegedly held a knife to his boss’s throat.
The court heard Mr Sloan heard screaming, ran in and saw Ramchen kneeling on top of Mr Sykes with the knife at his neck.
The teacher grabbed Ramchen’s wrist and pulled him off, forcing him to drop the knife, the officer said.
Mr Sloan then lost sight of Ramchen as he attended to Mr Sykes.
Ramchen is wheeled out of the school after the alleged attack
Fearing for student safety, Mr Sloan initiated an immediate school lockdown.
He then allegedly saw Ramchen back in the kitchen rummaging through drawers.
The court heard Ramchen re-entered Mr Sykes’s office, armed with a second, much larger 12-inch-long kitchen knife.
Police allege Ramchen again launched at Mr Sykes and held the knife close to his face.
Mr Sloan and other staff tackled him a second time, eventually wrestling the knife away, causing injuries to Ramchen’s hand.
The knife was thrown out of the office and Ramchen was held on the ground until police arrived, the court heard.
Ramchen told police he ‘snapped’ upon learning a day earlier his teaching contract would not be renewed.
‘The applicant stated he attended the principal’s office to speak about an extension of his employment contract,’ Sgt Marlow said.
Former The Price is Right model Jacqueline Ramchen, right, who went missing on April 10, 1992, pictured during her game show days in the 1970s
Slavik Ramchen (centre) got away with murder according to one of Victoria’s most experienced former homicide cops
‘But when Mr Sykes dismissed him and closed the door in his face, he became enraged, which caused him to mentally snap.
‘The applicant made full admissions to obtaining a knife from the kitchen sink, walking into the office and stabbing him with the knife towards his chest and neck area while others tried to wrestle the accused.’
When questioned about why he committed the alleged attack, Sgt Marlow claimed he had wanted to ‘completely incapacitate the principal’.
Police charged Ramchen with multiple offences, including recklessly endangering life, intentionally causing injury, two counts of unlawful assault, and assault with a weapon.
Ramchen had hoped to return to his Mulgrave home on bail where his brother Lev Ramchen agreed to keep track of him.
Lev, 42, had acted as his brother’s guardian after their mother mysteriously vanished when they were just teenagers.
Ramchen’s mum was former The Price is Right host Jacqueline Ramchen.
Mrs Ramchen has not been seen since she dropped her three children off at school on April 10, 1992.
Their father Slavik Ramchen was later charged with her murder, but walked free in 2002 after a magistrate found there was a possibility she might actually still be alive.
Ramchen will return to court in April.
