A violent, unprovoked attack that shook a suburban Australian school has concluded with a fixed prison sentence for the perpetrator, as courts praise the quick-thinking bravery of staff who stepped in to stop further harm.
On Monday, 37-year-old Kim Ramchen, a former information technology teacher at Melbourne’s Keysborough Secondary College, was handed a 15-month prison term by the Melbourne Magistrates Court for a coordinated knife attack on the school’s principal, Aaron Sykes, that occurred late last year. Ramchen had already entered a guilty plea to three criminal charges: intentionally causing bodily injury, assault with a dangerous weapon, and unlawful assault.
The details of the December 2 incident paint a disturbing picture of violence within a space meant to be safe for students and staff alike. Shortly after 3 p.m., not long after Ramchen had finished marking attendance in his classroom, he left his teaching space and walked to the administration wing’s shared kitchen, where he grabbed a four-inch kitchen knife. He then proceeded directly to Sykes’ office, entered the space, and immediately pointed the blade at his superior. When Sykes asked Ramchen what was happening, the former teacher launched his first attack.
Prosecutor J.J. Jassar told the court that screams for help from the office drew nearby staff to the scene, who arrived to find Ramchen standing over the injured principal, continuing to swing the knife. After colleagues pulled Ramchen away from Sykes, he left the office – only to return minutes later with a larger chef’s knife he had also retrieved from the school kitchen, launching a second assault on the downed principal.
It was only the quick intervention and courageous action of assistant principal Matthew Sloan and a team of other staff members that allowed them to restrain Ramchen until responding law enforcement officers arrived on site. Deputy Chief Magistrate Tim Bourke, who delivered the sentence, noted that the quick, brave action from Sloan prevented what could have been a far deadlier, more devastating outcome for Sykes.
When questioned by police after his arrest, Ramchen told investigators he had “mentally snapped” before the attack, saying “my blood just went to my head and I just became incredibly angry and emotional.” Sykes survived the attack but sustained multiple serious injuries: a two-centimeter laceration on his neck, cuts to his left cheek and right forearm, and dozens of additional abrasions and bruises across his body.
In his ruling, Bourke emphasized that the attack was completely unwarranted, taking place in a school – a location that must remain a safe space for all students, employees and community members. “The offending has occurred in what should only ever be a safe place not just for students, but co-workers and the broader school community,” Bourke said. “You have attacked the school principal twice, and a work colleague who bravely came to his aid.”
Bourke did note that he accounted for several mitigating circumstances when handing down the sentence, including Ramchen’s confirmed diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder, recurrent depressive disorder with anxious distress, documented substance abuse issues, and the defendant’s early guilty plea that avoided a lengthy trial.
Along with the 15-month total prison sentence, Bourke set a non-parole period of eight months and 14 days. Factoring in the 159 days Ramchen has already spent in pre-sentence detention, he will become eligible for parole in approximately three months.