Disgraced GP Thomas Kwan was found to still pose a risk to his victim and own mother after being jailed for 31 years for a fake Covid jab murder plot.
The 53-year-old - who wrote fake NHS letters before creating a disguise and poisoning him at a fake medical appointment by injection - was today (November 6) jailed at Newcastle Crown Court for 31 years and five months.
The “money-obsessed” GP caused the victim, Patrick O’Hara, to feel “instant, excruciating pain” before he was admitted to hospital and was later informed he had a flesh-eating disease.
Mrs Justice Lambert, sentencing Kwan at Newcastle Crown Court, said he still posed a risk to both Mr O’Hara and his mother Jenny Leung, who have since separated and imposed a restraining order preventing any contact with him.
Outside court, Christopher Atkinson, head of the Complex Casework Unit for Crown Prosecution Service 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 necrotising 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 for 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.”
Following the hearing, the officer in charge of the case, Detective Chief Inspector Jason Henry, of Northumbria Police, said: “I’d like to take this opportunity to reiterate our praise for the victim in this case.
Read how this story unfolded:
- Fake NHS note forged by would-be killer GP was part of murder plan
- Police return to Thomas Kwan's home in Ingleby Barwick
- Sunderland murder plot GP 'did nothing to help medics save victim'
- Sunderland GP admits attempted murder of mother's partner
- Ingleby GP Dr Thomas Kwan Covid jab victim speaks out
- GP who tried to kill mother's partner faces 35 years in jail
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“We are extremely grateful to him for his cooperation throughout our complex investigation and hope that now the man who poisoned him has been jailed he can begin to move on with his life.”
Detective Chief Inspector Henry added: “Thomas Kwan spent time meticulously planning how he would carry out this offence and cover his tracks.
“However, thanks to the assistance of the victim and witnesses, and the hard work of our dedicated officers, we managed to piece together what happened, ensuring he was brought to justice.”
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