GP accused of making ricin 'disguised as nurse to murder mother's partner with fake poison-laced Covid jab because it stood in the way of his inheritance'

A GP disguised himself as a nurse and tried to kill his mother's partner by injecting him with a fake Covid booster shot laced with poison because he was standing in the way of his inheritance, a court heard today.

Thomas Kwan, 53, a partner at a practice in Sunderland, was seen in CCTV footage arriving at a Premier Inn in Newcastle on January 22 wearing a hat, tinted glasses, gloves and a mask.

He later left the hotel and walked across town to his mother's house to give her partner Patrick O'Hara a shot. The 71-year-old then became seriously ill, but survived after an emergency operation.

Kwan has pleaded guilty to administering a noxious substance but denies attempted murder and murder Additional charge of intentional grievous bodily harm. He is also accused of stockpiling ingredients for making ricin and other toxins in his home.

A selfie that Kwan had taken wearing a wig, a fake beard and a fake mustache was also discovered at his home. On the same computer, using the disguised photo, they found a fake ID card in the name of the fake nurse Raj Patel.

Peter Makepeace KC, prosecuting, told Newcastle Crown Court today: “This ID card was obviously made in the event that Mr O'Hara asked for ID on the day he was poisoned.”

Kwan, 53, a partner at a practice in Sunderland, can be seen in CCTV footage arriving at a Premier Inn in Newcastle wearing heavy disguise

The GP, who was wearing a hat, tinted glasses, gloves and a surgical mask, can be seen checking into the hotel

Emergency services outside Kwan's £300,000 home in Ingleby Barwick, Teesside, earlier this year

Police officers were seen carrying boxes of evidence away from the large property

In his address to the jury, Mr Makepeace said: “Sometimes, occasionally perhaps, the truth is actually stranger than fiction.” The case you are now trying is an exceptional case in every respect.

“Mr Thomas Kwan, the defendant in this case, was a respected and experienced GP with a GP practice in Sunderland in January this year.

“By November 2023 at the latest, and probably long before that, he hatched a complicated plan to kill his mother’s long-time partner, a man named Patrick O’Hara.”

“In any case, this man did absolutely nothing to offend Mr. Kwan in any way.

“However, it was a potential obstacle to Mr. Kwan inheriting his mother’s estate upon her death.”

“Mr. Kwan used his encyclopedic knowledge of poisons and research to implement his plan.”

“This plan was to disguise himself as a community nurse, go to Mr O'Hara's address, the house he shared with the defendant's mother, and give him a dangerous poison under the guise of giving him a Covid booster vaccination to inject.”

Mr Makepeace said the defendant would say his intention was to cause “no more than mild pain or discomfort”.

But he claimed: “It was a bold plan, it was a plan to murder a man in full view, a man right in front of his own mother, the man's partner.”

The court heard Kwan became estranged from his mother Wai King after falling out with her over her plans to leave their home to Mr O'Hara, who she had been dating for more than 20 years.

“The will meant that the assets would only pass to Ms Leung's children after Mr O'Hara's death,” Mr Makepeace said.

On November 15, 2022, Kwan pushed past Mr. O'Hara to get into his mother's house and began questioning her about the will. Mr O'Hara called the police and Kwan was given a warning.

Kwan, a partner and practicing GP at the Happy House practice in Sunderland, returned to his £300,000 home in Ingleby Barwick, Teesside, where he lived with his wife and young son, to hatch the deadly plan, it is claimed .

Kwan gets out of his car (center) after arriving in the hotel's underground parking lot

The family doctor, who was carrying a large bag, goes up the stairs

A close-up of the doctor's face as he walked up the stairs without a mask

A heavily disguised Kwan entering his room after checking in

He later walked around Newcastle, arrived at his mother's house around 10am and introduced himself as an expected nurse

The GP allegedly began “scouting” hotels in Newcastle that he planned to use as a base to carry out the murder plan, and took his family to the Premier Inn a week before the attack to check whether it was suitable.

He then sent a text message to Mr O'Hara, ultimately confirming the appointment, on a temporary mobile phone using a PIN card he had purchased for that purpose, it is alleged.

In the early hours of January 22, Kwan drove from his home in Ingleby Barwick, Teesside, to Newcastle and checked into the Premier Inn, where cameras watched him make his quiet way to breakfast.

Mr Makepeace told the court: “Two hours later he left his hotel room again.” He was now dressed very differently.

He wore a long coat and a flat cap. He wore blue surgical gloves on his hands and a clinical mask covering his face as he left his room, crossed the hotel lobby and exited the hotel.

“You can see that he is carrying a satchel-like bag.” He was obviously in disguise, and of course he had to do that.

“Whatever he will do, he will do in front of his own mother, in front of a man he knew and who knew him.”

Kwan walked through Newcastle and arrived at his mother's house around 10am and introduced himself as an expected nurse.

He took blood samples and a urine sample from Mr O'Hara, labeled each one and put them in his pocket.

At that point, Kwan's mother entered the room and said she was concerned about her blood pressure. To reassure her, Kwan took it without her noticing that the man behind the surgical mask was her son.

A February 2024 photo showing emergency services outside Kwan's home

A large forensic tent was set up in the property's garden

Kwan told Mr O'Hara that he would be giving him a Covid booster vaccination and when the patient told him that he had had his last booster just three months ago, he assured him that this was necessary to protect him maintain an infection.

Mr Makepeace said: “Like most of us, Mr O'Hara looked away as the nurse began to give him an injection in his upper left arm.”

“Immediately, Mr. O'Hara felt terrible pain and jumped back.” He screamed “damn!” and explained the immediate and intense pain, but the nurse assured him that it was not an unusual, bad reaction and it wasn't There would be cause for concern.

“However, from this point onwards the 'nurse' began to noticeably hasten his departure, packing up his equipment and leaving the premises in some haste, telling Mr O'Hara not to worry about his stabbing arm, as was the case Pain would pass over time.'

Within seconds of being vaccinated, Mr O'Hara felt excruciating pain in his arm and his life was only saved when surgeons performed an emergency operation to cut out large sections of the poisoned flesh.

The process continues.