GP who disguised himself as nurse to poison mother's partner admits attempted murder

A GP has admitted plotting to termination his mother's semipermanent spouse by disguising himself arsenic a assemblage caregiver and poisoning him with a fake Covid booster jab.

Thomas Kwan, 53, was connected proceedings astatine Newcastle Crown Court and had initially denied attempted murder, but changed his plea aft helium heard the prosecution unfastened the lawsuit against him.

Police initially thought the joined father-of-one utilized the chemic limb ricin to effort to termination Patrick O'Hara, 72, astatine his mother's location successful St Thomas Street, Newcastle, connected January 22, but an adept believed a pesticide was much likely.

Kwan sparked a large exigency services cognition erstwhile constabulary recovered lethal chemicals stored successful the detached store astatine his location successful Ingleby Barwick, Teesside.

The Sunderland-based GP had already pleaded blameworthy to administering a noxious substance, claiming helium meant to origin nary much than mild pain.

The Crown's lawsuit was that helium meant to termination his mother's spouse of much than 20 years, who developed a uncommon flesh-eating illness arsenic a effect of the jab successful his arm.

The Hong Kong-born doc had developed an "encyclopaedic knowledge" of poisons, the tribunal heard, and helium studied however to get distant with murder, constabulary discovered from investigation of his location computers.

Opening the lawsuit connected Thursday, Peter Makepeace KC, prosecuting, said: "Mr Thomas Kwan, the suspect successful the case, was successful January of this twelvemonth a respected and experienced aesculapian doc successful wide signifier with a GP's country based successful Sunderland.

"From November 2023 astatine the latest, and astir apt agelong earlier then, helium devised an intricate program to termination his mother's semipermanent partner, a antheral called Patrick O'Hara.

"On immoderate view, that antheral had done perfectly thing to offend Mr Kwan successful immoderate mode whatsoever.

"He was, however, a imaginable impediment to Mr Kwan inheriting his mother's property upon her death.

"Mr Kwan utilized his encyclopaedic cognition of, and probe into, poisons to transportation retired his plan.

"That program was to disguise himself arsenic a assemblage nurse, be Mr O'Hara's address, the location helium shared with the defendant's mother, and inject him with a unsafe poison nether the pretext of administering a Covid booster injection."

Kwan forged NHS documentation to acceptable up the location visit, disguised himself, utilized mendacious fig plates for the travel to Newcastle and booked successful to a metropolis centre edifice utilizing a mendacious name.

Kwan's mother, Jenny Leung, named Mr O'Hara successful her volition to the effect that helium could enactment successful her location successful St Thomas Street, Newcastle, should she dice earlier her partner.

That determination led to her having a strained narration with her son, truthful overmuch truthful that the constabulary were called erstwhile Kwan burst into her location uninvited successful November 2022.

Kwan was "money-obsessed", jurors heard, adjacent installing spyware connected his mother's laptop truthful helium could secretly show her finances.

Last November, Kwan wrote to Mr O'Hara claiming to beryllium a assemblage caregiver called Raj Patel and offered him a location visit.

Mr Makepeace said: "As, I suspect, would immoderate of us, Mr O'Hara fell for it hook, enactment and sinker, helium had not the slightest suspicion that this was thing different than a genuine NHS assemblage attraction inaugural which helium warmly welcomed and was grateful for."

Kwan went to his mother's location successful a agelong coat, level cap, surgical gloves and wearing a aesculapian disguise and tinted glasses, and carried retired a 45-minute introspection connected Mr O'Hara, and adjacent checked his unsuspecting mother's humor unit erstwhile she asked.

Kwan, successful what the tribunal heard was breached English with an Asian accent, told Mr O'Hara helium needed a Covid booster, adjacent though helium had lone had 1 3 months ago.

Mr O'Hara shouted successful symptom erstwhile it was administered and Kwan rapidly packed his instrumentality and left, reassuring his unfortunate that a absorption was not uncommon.

The symptom continued and Mr O'Hara began to fishy thing had gone severely wrong.

The adjacent time his limb had blistered and was earnestly discoloured and medics astatine infirmary were baffled.

He had developed the flesh-eating illness necrotising fasciitis and needed to person portion of his limb chopped distant to halt it spreading, and spent respective weeks successful intensive care.

The fake nurse's movements were traced utilizing CCTV and constabulary were capable to place Kwan arsenic a suspect.

Searches of his location successful the enforcement property wherever helium lived revealed an array of chemicals specified arsenic arsenic and liquid mercury arsenic good arsenic castor beans which tin beryllium utilized to marque the chemic limb ricin.

Police recovered a look for ricin connected his machine but Ministry of Defence poisons adept Professor Steven Emmett, though inactive not definite which poison was used, thought iodomethane which is commonly utilized successful pesticides, was much likely.