Disguised GP jailed for trying to kill mother's partner by poisoning him with fake COVID jab

A GP who tried to kill his mother's partner by disguising himself as a community nurse before poisoning him with a fake COVID booster jab has been jailed for 31 years.

Sentencing Dr Thomas Kwan, 53, at Newcastle Crown Court, Mrs Justice Lambert said: "It was an audacious plan to murder a man in plain sight and you very nearly succeeded in your objective."

The Sunderland-based GP had written to Patrick O'Hara pretending to be a nurse called Raj Patel in November 2023.

He offered a home visit to administer the booster jab, which prosecutor Peter Makepeace KC said was a "pretext" to inject Mr O'Hara with a dangerous poison.

Kwan disguised himself by wearing a long coat, flat cap, surgical gloves, a medical mask and tinted glasses as he carried out a 45-minute examination of the 72-year-old in January.

The visit took place at the home of Kwan's mother Jenny Leung - where Mr O'Hara was staying at the time.

He had initially denied attempted murder but changed his plea after he heard the prosecution open the case against him.

Speaking after Kwan was sentenced, Mr O'Hara said he thinks "justice has been done" and thanked police and prosecutors.

"The sincerity and the professionalism they have shown has been amazing," he added.

Police initially thought the GP used the chemical weapon ricin to try to kill Mr O'Hara, but an expert believed a pesticide was more likely.

The prosecution said Mr O'Hara had been a "potential impediment" to Kwan inheriting his mother's estate upon her death.

Ms Leung had named the 72-year-old in her will to the effect that he could stay in her home in St Thomas Street, Newcastle, should she die before her partner.

This led to a strained relationship between Kwan and Ms Leung, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

The court previously heard how Kwan wrote to Mr O'Hara posing as nurse Raj Patel, and offered a home visit to administer the booster jab.

The 53-year-old also forged NHS documentation to set up the home visit, used false number plates for the journey to Newcastle and booked a city centre hotel using a false name.

Speaking in court on Wednesday, Mrs Justice Lambert said the letters were "good forgeries," and said Mr O'Hara and Ms Leung would not have had reason to suspect they were fake.

"By your masquerading, you struck at the heart of public confidence in the health care profession," she told Kwan.

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