Sunderland doctor sentenced for vaccine plot against mother's partner

Thomas Kwan has been jailed at Newcastle Crown Court for the attempted murder of his mother's partner

Author: Ellie KumarPublished 6th Nov 2024
Last updated 6th Nov 2024

A Sunderland doctor who attempted to kill his mother’s partner by injecting him with a flesh-eating toxin has been sentenced today at Newcastle Crown Court.

Thomas Kwan, 48, of Brading Court, Ingleby Barwick, was sentenced to 31 years and five months' imprisonment after pleading guilty during his trial for attempted murder. Kwan had previously admitted carrying out an elaborate plot to inject his mother’s partner at the time, Patrick O’Hara, 71, with an as-yet unconfirmed toxin that caused life-changing injuries but had denied any intention to kill Mr O’Hara.

Christopher Atkinson, Head of the Complex Casework Unit for CPS North East, said: “Kwan’s attempt on the life of Patrick O’Hara, while unsuccessful, has left his victim with life-changing injuries. As a result of the necrotizing fasciitis caused by the chemical, significant amounts of soft tissue had to be surgically removed from around the site of the injection. Beyond the physical effects, this incident has also been psychologically traumatic for Mr O’Hara, whose mental health has been significantly impacted as a direct result.

“The Crown’s case has always been that Kwan’s horrific actions were motivated by financial greed. When Kwan’s mother withdrew her financial support of him, he felt that harming Mr O’Hara would be a way of getting revenge. He also saw Mr O’Hara as a barrier between himself and part of his inheritance, one which he wanted desperately to remove.

“We welcome the Judge’s finding of Thomas Kwan’s dangerousness. This finding recognises that Kwan still poses a significant risk of serious harm to others, which is appropriately reflected in the sentence passed on him.”

“Our thoughts remain with Patrick O’Hara at what remains a difficult time, and we sincerely hope that seeing the perpetrator of this horrific plot jailed today provides some measure of comfort to him.”

In November 2023, Kwan sent a forged NHS-headed letter to his victim, claiming that his age qualified him for a nursing visit at the address he shared with Kwan’s mother in Newcastle. This was followed up by another letter, stating that a vaccine appointment with a member of a home nursing team had been made for him. The home nursing team was itself a work of fiction, created by Kwan to facilitate his scheme.

Kwan attended the fake appointment in January of this year, disguised as a nurse. He was dressed head-to-toe in protective clothing, with his face obscured by a clinical mask and his eyes hidden behind tinted glasses. After conducting a medical questionnaire with his victim and taking the man’s blood pressure, Kwan then injected his arm with an unknown substance. When the man complained of pain in his arm, Kwan provided reassurances before gathering his things and hurriedly leaving the scene. At trial, the court heard how he had plotted to kill Mr O’Hara after his mother had cut Kwan off financially.

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