A GP has admitted plotting to kill his mother’s partner by disguising himself as a community nurse and poisoning him with a flesh-eating toxin disguised as a COVID-19 “booster” jab.
Thomas Kwan, 53, was on trial at Newcastle Crown Court and had initially denied the attempted murder of Patrick O’Hara, 72, but changed his plea after he heard the prosecution outline the case against him.
The court was told that the GP was believed to be motivated solely by money, as O'Hara stood in the way of Kwan inheriting his mother’s estate.
Hong-Kong-born Kwan sparked a major emergency services operation when police found lethal chemicals stored in the detached garage at his home in Ingleby Barwick, Teesside.
‘Encyclopaedic Knowledge of Poisons’
The Sunderland-based GP had already pleaded guilty to administering a noxious substance, but had claimed he meant to cause no more than mild pain.But the prosecution’s case was that Kwan intended to kill his mother’s partner of more than 20 years, who developed a rare flesh-eating disease as a result of the jab.
The GP had researched how to get away with murder, police discovered from analysis of his home computers, and had developed an “encyclopaedic knowledge” of poisons, the court heard.
‘An Intricate Plan’
“From November 2023 at the latest, and probably long before then, he devised an intricate plan to kill his mother’s long-term partner, a man called Patrick O’Hara.“On any view, that man had done absolutely nothing to offend Mr. Kwan in any way whatsoever.
“He was, however, a potential impediment to Mr. Kwan inheriting his mother’s estate upon her death.
“Mr Kwan used his encyclopaedic knowledge of, and research into, poisons to carry out his plan.”
The court heard that Kwan disguised himself as a community nurse, attended the home O'Hara shared with the defendant’s mother, and injected him with a dangerous poison under the pretext of administering a COVID “booster” shot.
Kwan forged NHS documentation to set up the home visit and used false number plates for the journey to Newcastle, where he booked into a hotel using a false name.
Kwan’s mother, Jenny Leung, had named O’Hara as a beneficiary in her will to the effect that he could stay in her house in St. Thomas Street, Newcastle, should he outlive her.
That decision had caused a strain in the relationship with her son, to the extent that police were called when Kwan burst into her home uninvited in November 2022.
The court heard that Kwan was “money-obsessed,” and had gone as far as installing spyware on his mother’s laptop so he could covertly monitor her finances.
Last November, Kwan wrote to O’Hara claiming to be a community nurse called Raj Patel and offered him a home visit to administer the jab.
The court was told that O’Hara fell for the ruse “hook, line and sinker.”
Disguise and Fake Accent
Kwan donned a medical mask as well as a wig, fake facial hair, a long coat, flat cap, surgical gloves and tinted glasses before entering his mother’s home, where he carried out a 45-minute examination on O’Hara, even checking his unsuspecting mother’s blood pressure when she asked.The jury hear that Kwan spoke in broken English with an Asian accent, telling O’Hara he needed a booster, even though he had only had one just three months previously.
O’Hara yelled in pain when the toxic dose was administered, and Kwan quickly packed his equipment and left, reassuring his victim that such a reaction was not uncommon.
The pain persisted, and O’Hara began to suspect something was wrong. The following day, his arm had blistered and was seriously discoloured, leaving medics at the hospital he visited baffled.
He had developed the flesh-eating disease necrotising fasciitis and needed to have part of his arm cut away to stop it spreading, and spent several weeks in intensive care.
Kwan’s plot began to unravel after his movements were traced using CCTV and police were able to identify him as the suspected fake nurse.
An array of chemicals, including arsenic and liquid mercury as well as castor beans—which can be used to make the chemical weapon ricin—were found when Kwan’s home was searched.
Although a recipe for ricin was found on his computer by police, Ministry of Defence poisons expert Professor Steven Emmett thought iodomethane, commonly used in pesticides, was the more likely culprit.
Detective Chief Inspector Henry of Northumbria Police said in a statement: “Thomas Kwan’s actions were utterly despicable.
“He used his experience as a doctor to deceive the victim into thinking the medical appointment he had arranged was genuine before administering the poison which has caused him unimaginable pain and suffering.
“Thanks to the cooperation of the victim and the dedicated work of our team of officers during the past 10 months, we have been able to uncover Kwan’s scheming.”
He added, “The weight of evidence faced by Kwan was overwhelming.”
After Kwan changed his plea, Mrs Justice Lambert told him to expect a “substantial” prison term at his sentencing next Thursday.
