An unethical general practitioner has confessed to a second attempt to murder his mother’s partner over a dispute concerning her will. Dr. Thomas Kwan, aged 54, acknowledged trying to kill Patrick O’Hara between September 15, 2022, and January 21, 2024. He also admitted to introducing a harmful substance, thallium, into wine bottles given to Mr. O’Hara.
During the proceedings at Newcastle Crown Court, the prosecutor Peter Makepeace KC revealed that not all the wine bottles contained thallium to avoid immediate suspicion and ensure the victim’s false sense of security. Kwan, already serving a life sentence for the original murder plot against Mr. O’Hara, now faces additional charges for the second murder scheme.
Investigations uncovered documents on Kwan’s computer related to a non-existent entity called the “Northern Wine and Drinks Tasting Gentlemen’s Club.” Despite being imprisoned for life, Kwan’s wife is standing by him. The court learned that Kwan sent wine bottles, some containing poison, to Mr. O’Hara from this fictitious club, strategically mixing in harmless bottles to avoid detection.
Mr. Makepeace highlighted that the poisoning plot involved distributing bottles of wine to Mr. O’Hara and his son-in-law Torquil Gundlach. Testing revealed that two bottles were indeed poisoned, with a third bottle causing illness consistent with thallium poisoning. The scheme was meticulously planned to deceive the victim and was facilitated using fake club details.
Kwan, now 54 years old, must serve a minimum of two-thirds of his 31-year sentence before being eligible for parole, making it over two decades before a possible release. The court emphasized that Kwan’s actions were solely driven by financial motives, stemming from a familial inheritance dispute. Despite his incarceration, Kwan expressed dissatisfaction with the compensation Mr. O’Hara was expected to receive for the injuries inflicted upon him.
The court also disclosed that Kwan skillfully utilized his medical expertise as a GP to execute the murder plan, leveraging fake NHS letters for setting up appointments and employing spyware on his mother’s laptop to monitor her financial affairs. Kwan’s obsession with financial gain and inheritance culminated in a premeditated attempt to eliminate Mr. O’Hara, ultimately causing severe injuries and anguish.
