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A Melbourne teacher accused of stabbing his school’s principal last year has been found mentally fit to face the charges brought against him over the alleged attack.
A lawyer for former Keysborough Secondary College teacher Kim Ramchen told a court on Wednesday morning that despite the former educator’s “very serious issues”, he is psychologically fit to instruct his solicitors to enter guilty pleas.
The 37-year-old has been in custody since he allegedly attacked principal Aaron Sykes on December 2, after Ramchen learned his employment contract with the college would not be renewed for the 2026 school year.
The Dandenong Magistrates Court was also told that Sykes had been granted an interim personal safety intervention order against Ramchen, who did not appear at Wednesday’s brief hearing.
Ramchen’s lead lawyer Ruth Parker indicated on Wednesday morning that a guilty plea would be forthcoming, subject to an agreement being reached with prosecutors, after the question of the accused’s mental fitness had been resolved.
Parker told an earlier hearing that she would not accept a guilty plea from her client until the question of his mental fitness to admit to charges had been resolved.
She also said a previous psychological report had raised “very serious concerns” about Ramchen’s mental health, leading to a psychiatric report being commissioned.
“The outcome of that report, which was only very recently communicated to us, is that not withstanding that he’s got very serious issues, he is fit to give instructions,” the lawyer said.
Ramchen faces four charges, including assault with a weapon, unlawful assault and intentionally causing injury, over his alleged actions on December 3, which sent the large school into lockdown.
Prosecutors allege the teacher, who had worked at the school for two years, made his way from his classroom to the school office shortly after classes started that morning, arming himself with a four-inch knife from a staff kitchen on the way.
Ramchen is then alleged to have walked into the principal’s office and stabbed Sykes before holding the weapon to his throat.
After assistant principal Matthew Sloan intervened and pulled Ramchen off Sykes, according to the case, Ramchen returned to his boss’ office a second time, this time armed with a 12-inch knife, before being restrained by the deputy principal.
Police say Ramchen later made “full admissions” under questioning, with the accused saying he became enraged after not being granted a meeting with Sykes to discuss his future employment at the school.
The case returns to court next month.
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