Victim of murder plot GP Thomas Kwan says he will 'never get over the anxiety and pain' caused

A grandfather injected with poison by his partner's GP son over money says he will "never get over the anxiety and pain" caused to him and his family.

Patrick O'Hara, 72, was the victim of an elaborate murder plot by Dr Thomas Kwan, who disguised himself as a community nurse delivering a Covid booster at the Newcastle home of his own mother.

Married father-of-one Kwan, 53, admitted attempted murder on the second day of a trial earlier this month at Newcastle Crown Court.

The prosecution made the case at the same court on Thursday (17 October) that the crime meets the criteria for a whole life sentence which could see him jailed for 35 years.

At a sentencing hearing, Mr O'Hara held back tears as he told the court his life "completely changed forever" at the hands of his former partner's son.

Reading a victim impact statement, he said: "I genuinely feel as if I have been to hell and back. Thomas will never comprehend or know what it's like to suffer in the manner of which I am."

He continued: "I genuinely believe that from his perspective, he only wished for his actions to impact one person. By stark contrast, this has affected a huge amount of personnel - not just my family, the hospital staff, emergency services.

"He has brought the NHS into disrepute. From my perspective he was in the ultimate position of trust. Countless individuals each and every day place their trust in doctors to do the right thing, to carry out their duties as per the training and the oath that they they have undertaken.

"He has flagrantly abused his position of trust. I will never get over the anxiety and pain that he has caused me and my family."

The court had previously heard that Mr O’Hara had been in a relationship with Kwan’s mother, Jenny Leung, for 21 years when he launched his attack.

She had named Mr O’Hara in her will to the effect that he could stay in her house in St Thomas Street, Newcastle, should she die before her partner.

That decision led to her having a strained relationship with her son, so much so that the police were called when Kwan, a partner at Happy House Surgery in Sunderland, burst into her home uninvited in November 2022.

A year later, Kwan, who is married with a son and lived 50 miles south in Brading Court, Ingleby Barwick, Teesside, faked a letter from the NHS on his home computer to Mr O’Hara.

Claiming to be a community nurse called Raj Patel, he offered Mr O’Hara a home visit, following up that letter in January, the court was told.

In the early hours of 22 January this year, Kwan drove his car - using a fake registration plate - from his family home to a Premier Inn, in Newcastle, where he had booked a room under a false name.

He was captured on CCTV, shown to the court, leaving his room, wearing a long coat, hat, clinical mask and blue surgical gloves.

Footage tracked the GP making his way on foot to the city centre home his mother shared with her partner of more than 20 years.

Mr O'Hara let the tinted-glasses-wearing GP into the house where he spent 45 minutes.

During this time, Kwan spoke in what the court heard was broken English with an Asian accent and told Mr O’Hara he needed a covid booster.

He took blood samples from Mr O’Hara, checked the blood pressure of both him and Ms Leung, and then injected Mr O’Hara’s arm which caused him immediate pain.

Mr O'Hara told the court: "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."

After Kwan left the home, Mr O’Hara sought medical help and spent weeks in intensive care.

The court was told earlier this month that Mr O’Hara was suffering from Necrotising Fasciitis - a rare and life-threatening, flesh-eating disease.

Mr O'Hara said: "In order to cure this disease, I underwent three separate operations which required surgeons to cut away large parts of my left arm to ensure that all signs of the disease had been removed so that it wouldn't continue to spread.

"In addition, I had to undertake two separate skin grafts which involved removing skin from my left thigh and placing it on my injured arm."

He continued: "In total I spent five weeks in hospital. I can honestly say that there was never a day that went past when I did not feel pain."

Previously healthy Mr O'Hara said the incident "should have been the end of me" and without medical prevention he believes he would likely have lost his arm, and his life.

The retired environmental analyst said while his recovery was somewhat quick, his health took a "huge downturn" two months ago as a result of a diagnosed "delayed stress response" which caused him to lose one-and-a-half stone and almost all his hair.

He told the court: "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 of my arm which is an everlasting memory of the attack on me and this in addition has shattered my self-confidence."

Two weeks after the attack, Kwan was arrested by police who found a haul of chemicals and associated equipment in his detached garage.

Among the array of chemicals was arsenic and liquid mercury as well as castor beans which can be used to make the chemical weapon ricin.

Police found a recipe for ricin on his computer but Ministry of Defence poisons expert Professor Steven Emmett, although still not sure which poison was used, thought iodomethane which is commonly used in pesticides, was more likely.

A search of his home also revealed a mobile phone used to text Mr O’Hara and storage devices containing research materials on poisons, guidance on murder investigations, and toxicology books including a book called ‘10 poisons used to kill people’.

Continuing his victim impact statement, Mr O'Hara revealed he is no longer in a relationship with Kwan’s mother and has moved out of the home they shared.

He said he was now living with his daughter and her family and commended his ex-wife Theresa for the loving support she has given him.

Despite moving on, the victim said he now feared for his and his family's future.

"I feel incredibly guilty and fearful that someday Thomas will be released from prison and I am petrified that he will cause harm to my loved ones as a result of me assisting the police in his prosecution."

Paul Greaney KC, defending Kwan, told the court there were "mixed motives" behind the attempted murder.

Mr Greaney said: "This terrible scheme did not have as its sole focus financial gain but was much more generally influenced by his feelings about his relationship with his mother and the way she had treated him.

"It's not just financial gain, other things are happening."

Mr Greaney added: "There is little to extenuate offending as grave as this.

"He is entitled to ask you to take into account the fact he, at the age of 53, has no previous convictions, the fact he is a local GP and he should be regarded as having been of positive good character and thirdly it is plain he is not going to have an easy time in prison."

Mr Greaney said probation officials have assessed Kwan to pose a "medium risk to his own mother".

Prosecutors have applied for Kwan to be ordered to pay more than £25,000 in court costs, which will be decided at a later date.

Mrs Justice Lambert indicated on Thursday that the sentencing guidelines point towards a jail term in the range of 25 to 35 years, and Mr Makepeace said aggravating factors push the case to the top end of that.

Mrs Justice Lambert suggested she might give Kwan a 5% reduction in his sentence because he pleaded guilty after the trial began.

She must evaluate whether Kwan is a danger to the public.

Mrs Justice Lambert will sentence Kwan at a future date, which has not been fixed.

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