A Melbourne substitute teacher accused of stabbing a school principal during an altercation has been revealed to have a turbulent family history that once made national headlines.
Dr Kim Ramchen, 37, allegedly attacked Keysborough Secondary College principal Aaron Sykes in his office on Tuesday afternoon, shortly after school ended.
Police allege Dr Ramchen obtained a kitchen knife before confronting the principal, who suffered cuts to his lips and forearm.
Investigators said Mr Sykes was “extremely lucky” not to have sustained more serious injuries.
Dr Ramchen faced Dandenong Magistrates Court on Wednesday, where bail was refused. During the hearing, details resurfaced about his parents – Russian-born millionaire Slavik Ramchen and former model Jacqueline Ramchen, who hosted The Price Is Right in the 1970s.
Two decades after her television career, Jacqueline Ramchen vanished without a trace in April 1992. She was last seen after dropping her three children at Christ Church Grammar School in Toorak. It is reported she returned to the family’s South Yarra home in a silver-blue BMW sedan and was never seen again.
Her husband did not contact police for weeks, reportedly assuming she had left him amid a deteriorating marriage. He accused her of being a “slut”. He was later charged with her murder, but the case was dismissed a decade on when the magistrate ruled she could still be alive.
The disappearance triggered widespread speculation.
Some close to Mrs Ramchen suggested she had been “unhappy” and may have sought a new life. Others suspected her husband had committed the “perfect crime”.
Although police at the time believed blood stains in the home and car were sufficient to charge Mr Ramchen, subsequent DNA analysis ruled out that evidence.
Prosecutor Robert Johnston alleged Mr Ramchen had taken action to avoid losing $1.5 million in a potential divorce settlement, arguing he killed his wife at their mansion and disposed of her body on the family’s 100-hectare Woodend property.
A police search of the land – assisted by divers and NASA body-locating technology – found nothing.
Friends and family later alleged Mrs Ramchen had disclosed violence and sexual coercion in the marriage, including demands for sex “up to eight times a day” and pressure to engage in acts in front of other men.
Neighbours also reported frequent arguments and shouting from the home.
Police attended the property at least once for a domestic disturbance, during which Mrs Ramchen said she was “in the process of filing for divorce”.
The couple’s eldest son, Lev, told the court at the time that his mother prioritised “fun with her secret lovers” over her children.
“She basically got this idea into her head that she had five to 10 years left to have fun and after that she would be too old and nobody would want her,’’ he said.
Magistrate Kim Parkinson ultimately ruled there was insufficient evidence to convict Mr Ramchen, who maintained his innocence until his death.
Outside court on Wednesday, Lev supported his younger brother Kim and spoke publicly about the family’s traumatic history.
“We lost our mother when we were at primary school and our father died of cancer of the pancreas, which had metastasised to the liver when I was 19,” he said.
“Kim was about 14 at the time. I was the legal guardian for my younger brother and sister who was still at secondary school at that time.”
Despite the trauma, Dr Ramchen excelled academically. As a student at Melbourne Grammar, he achieved a perfect 99.95 VCE score.
“Somehow I pulled it off in the end,” he told The Herald Sun at the time.
“I was surprised, I was confident I’d get a reasonably good score, but I didn’t think it would be this high.’’
The result, he said, was a tribute to his parents.
“They’d be happy,’’ he said.
“I don’t remember my mother to the full extent, but this is a tribute to both of them for sure.”
He later completed a masters in philosophy and a PhD before becoming a teacher at Keysborough Secondary College.
The court heard Dr Ramchen had worked at the school for two years before learning through unknown means “that his contract would not be renewed for the following year”.
Sergeant Christopher Marlow alleged Dr Ramchen left class after roll call at 3pm, collected a 4-inch knife from the kitchen and entered Mr Sykes’ office, where he “immediately began assaulting (Mr Sykes) with the knife”.
Assistant principal Matthew Sloan allegedly found Dr Ramchen holding the blade to the principal’s throat.
It is alleged Mr Sloan pulled him away, initiated a lockdown, and that Dr Ramchen briefly left before returning minutes later with a 12-inch knife, which he “held … to the face of Sykes” before being subdued by staff.
Sergeant Marlow told the court Dr Ramchen “made full admissions” during his police interview, allegedly saying he “wasn’t able to control his emotions” and adding: “I’ve never been so angry in my life.”
The accused was treated in hospital for cuts to his hands and fingers and released at 3.30am after eight hours.
Defence barrister Abbie Roodenburg argued that Dr Ramchen should receive bail due to “real indications of mental ill health”, suggesting he had learned “several weeks prior” that his contract would not be renewed and had repeatedly attempted to speak with the school leadership.
In instructions to his lawyers, Dr Ramchen allegedly said he only wanted to discuss his employment and “mentally snapped” when the principal slammed the door in his face.
Mr Sykes disputes this, telling police there was no conversation and that Dr Ramchen simply walked past before returning 30 to 60 seconds later armed with a knife.
Prosecutors opposed bail, stating Dr Ramchen posed an “extreme” risk of reoffending. Lev told reporters he was “shocked and bewildered” by the allegations, insisting the behaviour was out of character.
Dr Ramchen – a husband and father of a young son – has been charged with recklessly engaging in conduct placing a person in danger of serious injury, intentionally causing injury, two counts of unlawful assault, and assault with a weapon.
He is due to return to court in January.
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