GP jailed for trying to poison mother's partner

Details of the "strained and difficult" relationship between poisoner GP Thomas Kwan and his mother emerged as he was sentenced to more than 31 years for attempted murder.

The married 53-year-old, born in Hong Kong and educated at a British public school from the age of 13, felt aggrieved about his inheritance from his late father, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

His obsession with money was to lead him to try to murder his mother's partner Patrick O'Hara, in an audacious plot, disguised as a nurse and administering him a poisoned, fake Covid jab in plain sight of his unsuspecting mother.

Sentencing, Mrs Justice Lambert said: "You have had a strained and difficult relationship with your mother for many years.

"You told the author of the pre-sentence report that the relationship worsened when your mother divorced your father 27 years ago.

"Your mother had, you said, withdrawn 1 million from the joint account which she held with your father and had then forced him to divorce her.

"In Chinese culture, you said that it was usual for the eldest child to receive the largest proportion of the financial proceeds of a parent's will.

"However, when your father died, your younger brother received the largest proportion.

"You considered this to be unfair.

"In a letter to your mother dated January 2022 you referred to her having stolen money from your father and family and told her that you had never given up your rights to your inheritance."

Kwan gave his mother, Jenny Leung, a laptop computer in 2020.

Unbeknownst to her, Kwan had installed spyware on it so he could check her financial dealings, and watch her home life on its camera.

And on one occasion, Kwan burst into his mother and Mr O'Hara's home in central Newcastle to pester her about finances, causing her to call the police.

Officers gave Kwan a warning about his future conduct, but Ms Leung did not want to damage his medical career by taking the matter further.

The judge told him: "Following this incident contact between you and your mother was minimal and only indirect.

"But even following your arrest, intercepted correspondence from you to your wife demonstrated a continued interest in your mother's finances.

"You referred to your mother and her partner taking all of 'our hard-earned money and home'."

Mrs Justice Lambert added: "You described your mother as being 'money obsessed'.

"Whether she was or not I do not know.

"You however were certainly obsessed by money and more particularly by the money to which you considered yourself to be entitled.

"I have no doubt that the reason why you tried to kill Mr O'Hara was for financial gain.

"You knew that your mother had left the house at St Thomas Street to her children, but you also knew that she had changed her will to give Mr O'Hara a life interest in the house.

"By killing him you would have removed the obstacle which lay between you and your immediate recovery of your share in the property following your mother's death in the event of her pre-deceasing him."