A property executive who stabbed a friend’s wife near the heart in a horrific attack has met his fate in court.
Matthew Brian Ramsay, 48, has confessed to stabbing the woman in the chest with a 25cm kitchen knife in Sydney’s eastern suburbs on the afternoon of August 8, 2022.
Ramsay had been charged with wounding with intent to murder, but that charge was dropped in a plea deal in which he pleaded guilty to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
In the New South Wales District Court on Friday, Judge David Barrow sentenced Ramsay to six years and eight months in prison, while his victim said she wished he had been given a longer sentence.
A non-parole period of three years and eight months was set, meaning that with time already served, Ramsay could be released in October 2026.
The incident marks a fall from grace for the high-profile real estate executive who negotiated sales worth tens of millions of dollars.
The court heard Ramsay suffers from treatment-resistant addictions to prescription drugs and alcohol, and was likely in a prescription drug-induced delirium on the day he stabbed the woman in her exclusive home.
He had taken a cocktail of psychoactive drugs and sedatives on doctor’s orders in the days leading up to the incident, while at The Sydney Clinic rehabilitation centre. The Telegraph newspaper reported.
Property executive Matthew Ramsay (pictured), who stabbed a friend’s wife near the heart in a horrific attack, has learned his fate in court.
Ramsay left the clinic on the morning of the killing, went to his own home nearby, grabbed a kitchen knife and drove to the woman’s home in Dover Heights, 8 kilometres east of central Sydney.
Ramsay was friends with the victim’s husband and was aware of his addictions, so she was not worried about his safety when she knocked on the door.
But as soon as Ramsay entered the house, his mood changed, he told police.
He looked at her with an intense expression on his face, said ‘I’m sorry’, then pulled the knife from his jacket and stabbed her in the left side of the chest, near the heart, the court heard.
The woman fought back and Ramsay attempted to stab her again before she ran out the front door.
He then jumped on her back and put his hand over her mouth to try to stop her screams, but workers working nearby heard her screams and ran to help.
They distracted Ramsay and the victim was able to return to the house and call the police.
She was later taken to hospital, where she received stitches on a 3cm wound in her chest and was discharged the next day.
Ramsay left the scene but was arrested a short time later on Campbell Parade in Bondi Beach.
He was initially taken into custody but was later granted bail to live and receive treatment at a rehabilitation centre.
However, he violated his bail and was taken back into custody, the court heard.
Medical reports revealed that Ramsay had been a chronic alcoholic throughout his adult life and that he suffered an alcohol-related brain injury as a result.
He was prescribed antipsychotics and sedatives, including Baclofen, Valium and Stilnox, in very high doses in an attempt to control his alcoholism, the court heard.
His use of these drugs, and his efforts to quit another drug, likely put him in a state of delirium at the time of his crime, Judge Barrow heard.
The judge said Ramsay’s condition that day significantly reduced his moral culpability and found he was remorseful for his crime.
Judge Barrow said Ramsay had written to the victim saying he was sorry and that he was sober in prison and wanted to “get back to the person he used to be”.
Ramsay (pictured left) was arrested a short time later on Campbell Parade in Bondi Beach.
Upon his release, Ramsay plans to live with his cousin and work for his brother, the court heard.
His victim, who has a scar above her heart, said she wished Ramsay had received a longer sentence.
“I just wanted to get a few more years in prison before I got out of jail,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“This criminal has taken away my sense of security.”
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