Doctor jailed after admitting attempted murder

A doctor who admitted trying to murder his mother’s then-partner by poisoning him at a fake medical appointment has been sentenced to more than 30 years in prison.

Thomas Kwan, 53, sent bogus medical letters to the man, claiming he was due to have an injection.

Kwan arranged to visit the man at his Newcastle home on January 22 and wore a disguise – including a wig and fake facial hair – along with a medical mask so that his mother and her then partner, who is in his 70s, wouldn’t be able to recognise him.

In the hours after receiving the injection, the victim became seriously unwell, developing a serious skin condition around the injection area. He was later admitted to hospital after visiting his GP.

On presenting several letters for the medical appointment at which he was given the injection, hospital staff discovered they were bogus and informed Northumbria Police.

The victim has since had to have numerous operations to repair the extensive damage the poisoning caused. He has been left with life-changing injuries.

As part of the police investigation, Kwan was identified as having driven from his home in the Ingleby Barwick area of Stockton to a hotel in Newcastle city centre in the early hours of January 22 before the appointment.

Officers uncovered that Kwan had used fake licence plates on his vehicle during the journey to Tyneside.

Kwan was arrested at his home address and subsequently found on his computer was a ‘poisoner’s handbook’ and a book on guidance for murder investigations.

Several files regarding poisons to kill a person and ideal poisons to use to evade detection were also uncovered on his computer.

Further enquiries found that Kwan had installed spying software on his mother’s computer as a way of monitoring her and her then partner’s computer usage for a period of over a year.

He was then charged with attempted murder and causing grievous bodily harm with intent. He pleaded not guilty to these offences – but did admit a charge of administering a noxious substance.

Earlier this month he went on trial at Newcastle Crown Court over the attempted murder charge, but on the second full day of the trial on Monday, October 7, he pleaded guilty to the offence.

Kwan, of Brading Court, Ingleby Barwick, was remanded in custody following his guilty plea.

He was back before the same court today, where he was sentenced to 31 years and five months years in prison.

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.

“We are extremely grateful to him for his co-operation 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.”