Breaking News: Sunderland GP Admits Trying to Murder His Mother's Partner

A Sunderland GP has now admitted his audacious plan to murder his mother's partner.

Thomas Kwan, 53, of Brading Court, Ingelby Barwick, Stockton-on-Tees, changed his plea on the second day of his attempted murder trial at Newcastle Crown Court.

Kwan had previously admitted administering a noxious substance, but denied his intention was to kill 71-year-old Patrick O'Hara. 

In the prosecution opening Peter Makepeace KC outlined the extraordinary lengths Kwan had gone to in an effort to murder his mother's long term partner, Mr O'Hara.

Kwan's mother, Wai King (Jenny) Leung, 73, had changed her will so that Mr O'Hara, were he to outlive her, would be able to remain in the home she owned in St Thomas Street on the outskirts of Newcastle city centre.

This was a source of great consternation for Kwan, who saw Mr O'Hara as an obstacle on the path to his inheritance.

Months before the audacious murder plan was put into action, Kwan began researching and sourcing chemicals he could potentially use to poison Mr O'Hara. Following his arrest police recovered thallium, arsenic, mercury, sulfuric acid and the precursors to the deadly toxin ricin from this Ingelby Barwick home.

Kwan made a letter falsely purporting to be from the local NHS. It offered Mr O'Hara the chance for a free health check, which would take place in his and Ms Leung's Newcastle home. Kwan signed the letter in the name of Raj Patel, community nurse.

The appointment was fixed for the morning of 22nd January 2024. In the early hours Kwan had driven up from Teesside on false number plates and booked into a Newcastle Premier Inn under an assumed identity. He had also gone to the trouble of texting Mr O'Hara a fake NHS appointment reminder message.

On the morning in question Kwan disguised himself with make up, a false moustache and beard, glasses, face covering and beany hat. He wore surgical gloves and carried a bag full of props, including a false patient questionnaire, false NHS identity badge in the name of Raj Patel and various medical accessories. He took the ten minute walk to St Thomas Street.

Mr O'Hara answered the door and let the disguised GP in. Kwan, Mr O'Hara and Ms Leung were not on good terms and only saw each other infrequently. That, coupled with Kwan's disguise and meticulous planning, meant Mr O'Hara was completely taken in by his deceit.

Kwan and Mr O'Hara sat downstairs in the living room, with Ms Leung busy upstairs doing something else. For almost an hour Kwan, under the guise of nurse Raj Patel, discussed Mr O'Hara's health, completed the fake questionnaire and performed a series of examinations.

Kwan then told Mr O'Hara he was due a covid booster injection. Mr O'Hara was a bit suspicious as he had not long had a booster, but Kwan managed to persuade him to roll up his sleeve and receive another dose.

Of course it wasn't a covid booster at all. Kwan had actually stuck Mr O'Hara with a syringe containing the pesticide methyl iodide. Having done the deed, Kwan made his excuses to hurriedly leave Mr O'Hara and Ms Leung's home. As he was doing so Ms Leung, his mother, came down the stairs and passed him in the hallway. She commented that he was a similar height to her son, but thought nothing more about it.

Kwan made good his escape through the streets of Newcastle. Only a few minutes later Mr O'Hara, who was now suffering extreme pain in his arm, tried to call Kwan back, but he had already disappeared from sight.

A few days later Mr O'Hara went to the Royal Victoria Infirmary's Accident and Emergency Department to receive treatment for his arm, which was still very painful. He told hospital staff the story and they confirmed that they had never heard of the team nurse Raj Patel claimed to be from.

The toxin administered to Mr O'Hara was never clinically identified, but Kwan has subsequently claimed it was methyl iodide - a poison which is very hard to detect and treat. Mr O'Hara was left with a flesh-eating condition, which caused extensive tissue damage in his arm.

The pieces of the jigsaw now falling into place, Mr O'Hara and Ms Leung contacted the police to report their suspicions.

The police searched Kwan's home and found the chemicals previously mentioned, along with an assortment of documentation relating to murder, the synthesis of toxins and terrorism. They also recovered the SIM card he had used to text the appointment reminder to Mr O'Hara, as well as copies of the fake NHS letters and ID badge.

This is quite some story. A Hollywood blockbuster in the making.

Trial judge, Mrs Justice Lambert, has adjourned sentencing until Thursday, 17th October 2024.

Looking at the relevant sentencing guideline, I would suggest that the judge would consider this an offence of higher culpability and category 1 harm. That gives a sentence starting point of 30 years' custody.

Undoubtedly Kwan is a man of previous good character. However, that is more than offset by the glaring breach of trust and murderous perversion of his medical skills.

Update (6/11/24): Kwan has now been sentenced.