It was one of the most bizarre cases that hit the headlines last year and had numerous twists and turns.
In court, Thomas Kwan’s murder bid was described as a case “stranger than fiction”. The Ingleby Barwick man’s audacious plan unravelled as officers uncovered CCTV, chemicals and fake documents.
The once-respected GP hatched a plot to murder his mum’s partner Patrick O’Hara who he saw as an obstacle to receiving his inheritance should anything happen to his mum. The doctor spent months meticulously planning his wicked attack and tricked the 71-year-old victim with faked NHS letters into believing a community nurse would be coming to his home to give him a Covid booster jab.
The 53-year-old donned a disguise, which included a wig, fake facial hair and a mask and went to his mum’s Newcastle home himself. Once inside the property, on St Thomas Street, Kwan injected Mr O’Hara with a substance that caused a flesh-eating disease and left him in intensive care.
In November, the Stockton dad was jailed for more than 30 years after sensationally pleading guilty to attempted murder after his trial at Newcastle Crown Court got underway. Today we take a look back at the case that almost seems too bizarre to be true, reports Chronicle Live.
The court was told how Kwan, who was a GP at Sunderland’s The Happy House surgery, left his home on Brading Court, Ingleby Barwick, in a Toyota Yaris which had been fitted with false registration plates, on the morning of January 22, 2024. He arrived at The Gate car park in Newcastle at 2.31am and booked into The Premier Inn under the name John Chan.
After he arrived at the home his mum Wai King Leung shared with Patrick, Kwan took his unsuspecting victim through a medical questionnaire, checked his blood pressure checked and took a blood sample. Kwan even took his own mother’s blood pressure, at her request, but all along the couple had no idea that the nurse they believed to be a stranger was in fact their family member.
(Image: Northumbria Police)
The ‘nurse’ then said he would give Patrick a Covid booster, at which point he felt immediate pain and Kwan quickly left. The victim began to suspect something was very wrong as the pain in his arm increased.
He was given antibiotics and painkillers at the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) and sent home. When he awoke the next morning he found his arm was blistering and seriously discoloured. His GP sent him back to the hospital immediately, suspecting possible sepsis.
Doctors were baffled as to the cause of what they realised was a rare and life-threatening flesh-eating disease. Patrick needed surgery to try to stem the spread of the infection by cutting away “very considerable portions” diseased flesh on his arm in repeated procedures. He ended up spending weeks in intensive care.
Dr Thomas Kwan arrested at Ingleby Barwick home
Meanwhile a police investigation had begun and Kwan was traced on CCTV leaving his mother’s home, heading back to the hotel then eventually home, having stopped for something to eat at Greggs. He was arrested and as his home, in Ingleby Barwick, was searched officers found an array of toxic, corrosive, hazardous or flammable chemicals including liquid mercury, thallium, sulphuric acid and arsenic, in a detached garage at the premises.
It is still unclear exactly what Patrick was injected with. Kwan later said it was iodomethane, which is sometimes called methyl iodide and is commonly called “Mel”, which is used predominantly as a fumigant pesticide, the court was told.
Police also recovered various items from a hard drive at Kwan’s home, including a video about how to produce iodomethane, a PDF copy of police guidance on murder investigations and a fake ID document showing Kwan in disguise. As Kwan, 53, was sentenced to 31 years and five months in jail the judge, Mrs Justice Lambert, told him he came close to killing Mr O’Hara with his “detailed and extensive” plan.
Police tents at the scene of an investigation at Brading Court in Ingleby Barwick, Teesside, following the discovery of an “unknown substance”
(Image: PA)
“You went to the home your mother shared with her partner, Patrick O’Hara. You were in disguise, wearing a hat and tinted glasses and a surgical mask. You were masquerading as a community nurse attending to perform routine health checks on Mr O’Hara.
“Your intention was to administer a lethal injection of poison on the pretence of administering a Covid booster. It was an audacious plan to murder a man in plain sight and you very nearly succeeded in your objective.”
Mrs Justice Lambert said a search of his garage revealed his “obsessive interest in poisons and toxic chemical harm”. He had obtained various poisons by setting up a shell company and he had a “library of material” on poisons and their effects, the judge said.
Dr Thomas Kwan, of Ingleby Barwick
“Your planning and preparation was detailed and extensive. The plan was active for at least three months but you had obtained lethal chemicals well before then.”
Mrs Justice Lambert said Kwan was “obsessed by money”, saying: “I’ve no doubt the reason you tried to kill Mr O’Hara was for financial gain.” The judge also referred to intercepted correspondence sent from Kwan to his wife from prison, showing his obsession with money.
When he learned Patrick may bring a claim for compensation, he wrote: “Mother and elderly man wins and take all our hard earned money and home. We will have nothing. How could this be justice?” The judge added: “You struck at the heart of public confidence in the healthcare system.”
Victim Patrick O’Hara (centre) leaves Newcastle Crown Court with friends after a sentencing hearing for GP Thomas Kwan
(Image: PA)
During the sentencing hearing the victim went in the witness box to lay bare the devastating impact Kwan’s actions had on his life. The former environmental analyst said: “At roughly 9.45am on Monday January 22 my life completely changed forever.
“This is a date that I will never forget for as long as I shall live. On this date, a male attended my home address under the guise of a healthcare professional administering a Covid injection and injected me with a devastating toxic chemical, whilst at the same time having me believe that the injection was needed for my health and welfare.
“I remember that when that needle entered my arm, I felt instant, excruciating pain. I had never in my life felt anything that painful before. I instantly thought that something had gone wrong, however the reply from the physician was that I must have been having an allergic reaction.
“I trusted him saying that it was an allergic reaction as this person was a professional, he took the time to attend my home address, he worked for the NHS and therefore he was here, in my home, in order to give me the best possible care. I invited him into my place of safety and he was there for my benefit. At no point in time was I ever under the impression that this person portraying himself to be a healthcare professional was in fact my partner at the time’s son, Thomas.
“Overall, this incident should have been the end of me. The nature of what had occurred to my body has left me speechless. Had it not been for medical intervention I am positive that not only would I have lost my left arm, but my life as well.
“I have been left a shell of an individual. I suffer from extreme fatigue. Every time I get changed I am aware of the disfigurement to my arm which is an everlasting memory from the attack on me.”
Wife to stand by him
But after seeing her husband jailed Kwan’s wife of 14 years vowed to stand by him. She said: “I really cannot find a man to compare to Tom, in his heart he is very, very good. I don’t blame him – I love him, trust him, and will be here for him until the end. I am going to be buried alongside him,” the Mirror reported.
“Our son goes with me to prison to see Tom. I tell him everything and I hope he will understand his dad.” Kwan’s wife also recounted a change in her husband’s behaviour in the weeks before he carried out his daring crime.
She revealed: “He was very nervous, he was sweating at night. He was not sociable, he liked to work but he did not have any social life, he is a very private man. Our married life was very, very happy, he was a very good doctor. I think he had a mental illness but as a GP, he did not want to book an appointment to seek help.”
She further disclosed Kwan’s experiences of bullying in school, stating: “He felt very lonely and helpless. All his life, he was looking for his mother’s love and never found it. He always believed that she loved others more than her own child. I feel so sorry for Tom, that is why I will wait for him and give him a good life in the end.”
After Kwan’s arrest The Happy House Surgery carried out its own investigation, which included an audit of all records. The practice said it was satisfied that Kwan had not posed any threat to patients at any point.
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