A GP from Sunderland has been accused of attempting to murder his mother’s partner by injecting him with a poisoned fake Covid booster jab.
Dr Thomas Kwan, 53, allegedly devised an elaborate plan to disguise himself as a nurse and administer the injection to Patrick O’Hara at his mother’s home in Newcastle.
The court heard that Kwan’s motive was linked to an inheritance dispute. He had fallen out with his mother over her plans to leave her home to O’Hara.
Prosecutor Peter Makepeace KC told Newcastle Crown Court: “Sometimes, occasionally perhaps, the truth really is stranger than fiction. The case you are about to try, on any view, is an extraordinary case.”
A GP from Sunderland has been accused of attempting to murder his mother’s partner by injecting him with a poisoned fake Covid booster jabPA
Kwan has pleaded guilty to administering a noxious substance but denies attempted murder and grievous bodily harm with intent.
Police searches of Kwan’s home uncovered a selfie of him wearing a wig, fake beard and moustache. A fake ID badge for a “Raj Patel” was also found on his computer.
CCTV footage showed Kwan arriving at a Premier Inn in Newcastle on 22 January, wearing a hat, tinted spectacles, gloves and a mask.
Makepeace told the court: “This ID was plainly prepared in the event Mr O’Hara asked for identification on the day he was poisoned.”
After checking in under a false name, Kwan walked to his mother’s house to administer the injection to O’Hara. The 71-year-old became gravely ill but survived following emergency surgery.
The court heard that Kwan was estranged from his mother, Wai King, also known as Jenny Leung, due to her plans to leave her home to Mr O’Hara. The couple had been together for over 20 years.
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Makepeace explained: “The effect of the will was that the property would not go to Ms Leung’s children until after Mr O’Hara’s death.”
Kwan allegedly used spyware to monitor his mother’s computer, capturing emails, searches, and even images through the device’s camera.
“He had scores of still images of such captures as well as detailed copies of emails and search results captured through such spyware, stored on his own computer,” Makepeace told the court.
The prosecutor argued that this surveillance supported “the inevitable conclusion that this intended murder was motivated by financial gain.”
On the morning of January 22, Kwan arrived at his mother’s home, introducing himself as the expected nurse. He took blood and urine samples from O’Hara before administering what he claimed was a Covid booster injection.
Makepeace described the attack: “Immediately Mr O’Hara felt a terrible pain and jumped back. He shouted, ‘bloody hell’ and explained the immediate and intense pain, but the nurse reassured him it was not an uncommon, bad reaction.”
The prosecutor added that Kwan then “began to noticeably speed up his departure, packing up his equipment and leaving the premises in something of a rush.”
Within seconds of the jab, O’Hara experienced agonising pain in his arm. His life was only saved by emergency surgery, where surgeons had to cut away large sections of poisoned flesh.
CCTV footage showed Kwan arriving at a Premier Inn in Newcastle on 22 January, wearing a hat, tinted spectacles, gloves and a mask
PA
Makepeace concluded: “The incredibly detailed planning carried out by Mr Kwan is only explicable if the intention was murder rather than cause mild pain and irritation.”
The prosecutor argued that Kwan’s medical background was a crucial factor. “Mr Kwan’s knowledge of poisons, his extensive research and acquired expertise means he cannot have been ignorant of the life-threatening nature of the assault he was perpetrating,” Makepeace said.
Kwan, a partner at Happy House Surgery in Sunderland, is also accused of hoarding ingredients at his home to make ricin and other toxins.
The trial continues.