A DOCTOR who admitted trying to murder his mother’s then-partner by poisoning him at a fake medical appointment has been sentenced to more than 30 years in prison.
Thomas Kwan, 53, sent bogus medical letters to Patrick O’Hara, claiming he was due to have an injection.
Kwan arranged to visit the 72-year-old, who had been his mother’s partner for more than 20 years, at his Newcastle home on January 22, 2023.
The GP, who is married with two children, wore a disguise – including a wig and fake facial hair – along with a medical mask so that his mother and Mr O’Hara, wouldn’t be able to recognise him.
He administered the injection to Mr O’Hara, who became seriously unwell within a matter of hours, developing a serious skin condition around the injection area.
He was later admitted to hospital after visiting his GP.
On presenting several letters for the medical appointment at which he was given the injection, hospital staff discovered they were bogus and informed Northumbria Police.
Thomas Kwan has been jailed for 31 yearsMr O’Hara has since had to have numerous operations to repair the extensive damage the poisoning caused and has been left with life-changing injuries.
As part of the police investigation, Kwan was identified as having driven from his home in the Ingleby Barwick area of Stockton to a hotel in Newcastle city centre in the early hours of January 22 before the appointment.
Officers discovered that Kwan had used fake licence plates on his vehicle during the journey to Tyneside.
Kwan was arrested at his home address and subsequently found on his computer was a ‘poisoner’s handbook’ and a book on guidance for murder investigations.
Several files regarding poisons to kill a person and ideal poisons to use to evade detection were also uncovered on his computer.
Further enquiries found that Kwan had installed spying software on his mother’s computer as a way of monitoring her and her then partner’s computer usage for a period of over a year.
He was then charged with attempted murder and causing grievous bodily harm with intent., which he pleased not guilty to, but he did admit a charge of administering a noxious substance.
Last month Kwan went on trial at Newcastle Crown Court over the attempted murder charge.
On the second full day in court (October 7) he pleaded guilty to the offence.
Kwan, of Brading Court, Ingleby Barwick, was remanded in custody following his guilty plea.
He was back before the same court yesterday (November 6) where he was sentenced to 31 years and five months in prison.
Following the hearing, the officer in charge of the case, Detective Chief Inspector Jason Henry, of Northumbria Police, said: “I’d like to take this opportunity to reiterate our praise for the victim in this case.
“We are extremely grateful to him for his co-operation throughout our complex investigation and hope that now the man who poisoned him has been jailed he can begin to move on with his life.”
Detective Chief Inspector Henry added: “Thomas Kwan spent time meticulously planning how he would carry out this offence and cover his tracks.
“However, thanks to the assistance of the victim and witnesses, and the hard work of our dedicated officers, we managed to piece together what happened, ensuring he was brought to justice.”
See More: Patrick O'Hara, Thomas Kwan
