the essential
This Monday, Thomas Kwan, a 53-year-old British doctor, admitted that he had tried to kill his father-in-law, Patrick O’Hara, by making him believe that he was injecting him with a booster vaccine against Covid-19.
This is a trial that was expected on the other side of the Channel: Thomas Kwan was called to the bar in Newcastle court to provide explanations surrounding the attempted murder of which he is accused. This 53-year-old doctor is accused of trying to poison his mother’s partner, Patrick O’Hara, using a fake Covid-19 vaccine, explains Reuters. This Monday, October 7, the person admitted before the judges to having attempted the life of his father-in-law. Since the start of the trial, however, the accused denied any attempted murder, claiming to have wanted to cause slight pain.
A GP wore a disguise and poisoned his mother’s partner in a row over inheritance, a court has heard.
Thomas Kwan is accused in the ‘intricate’ plot, with prosecutors saying he crafted a fake ID and injected the man with a fake Covid booster. pic.twitter.com/q72zE9E06y
— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) https://twitter.com/Channel4News/status/1841881838358340067?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The events allegedly took place in November 2023. Patrick O’Hara had been dating Thomas Kwan’s mother for almost 20 years. The doctor posed as a nurse from the British health service, and offered his services to Patrick O’Hara to give him a booster dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. Thomas Kwan then dressed up in a wig, a long coat, a cap, a medical mask and tinted glasses, and went to his father-in-law, thus dressed up. The medical appointment will last no less than 45 minutes.
A flesh-eating bacteria
The next day, however, Patrick O’Hara noticed impressive blisters on his arm. The victim was then subject to what is called “necrotizing fasciitis”. A flesh-eating bacteria was, in fact, inoculated into him. Part of the arm had to be cut to prevent the bacteria from proliferating. Patrick O’Hara subsequently had to be placed in intensive care.
An investigation was opened and very quickly, the police looked into the profile of Thomas Kwan. In the doctor’s computer, investigators come across a recipe for ricin on his computer. An expert in poisons, belonging to the Ministry of Defense, will affirm for his part that it was iodomethane, a substance which is generally found in pesticides. “Mr Kwan used his encyclopedic knowledge and research on poisons to carry out his plan,” said Peter Makepeace, the prosecutor.
Left out of the will
It remains to be seen why the doctor attacked his father-in-law’s life. The prosecutor claims that Patrick O’Hara “posed a potential obstacle to Mr. Kwan inheriting his mother’s estate upon her death.” The doctor’s mother wanted to bequeath her house to the victim of this attempted murder. The fifty-year-old had already expressed his strong disagreement on this subject. The prosecutor explains that the accused was “obsessed with money”.
The verdict is expected on October 17 in this case.
