A British doctor who was dissatisfied with his inheritance and injected his mother's partner with poison that he falsely presented as a vaccine against covid-19, was sentenced today to 31 years in prison.
Dr. Thomas Kwan disguised himself as a home visiting nurse to inject Patrick O'Hara with poison because he believed the elderly man was standing in his way of one day inheriting his mother's home. Kwan pleaded guilty to attempted murder at Newcastle Crown Court last month.
O'Hara survived after spending several weeks in intensive care and having part of his arm amputated to prevent the spread of necrotizing fasciitis. O'Hara and Kwan's mother, Jenny Leung, have since separated.
Police used surveillance footage to track down Kwan. They found he hatched a plot by sending bogus letters with NHS logos, hyperlinks and even a QR code to offer O'Hara a home visit for the vaccine.
Kwan disguised himself in head-to-toe protective gear, tinted goggles and a surgical mask and drove the vehicle to the appointment in January using fake license plates.
Kwan, who has been described as having a morbid obsession with poisons, used iodomethane, a substance found in pesticides that he thought would be difficult for doctors to detect, the judge said.
During the search of his house, the police found arsenic, liquid mercury and castor oil, which can be used to make the chemical weapon ricin. He had instructions on how to make ricin on his computer.
Quan was upset at the prospect of receiving less of his inheritance. He had a strained relationship with his mother and learned that she had a provision in her will that would allow O'Hara to remain in her home if she predeceased him.
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