--- title: "Scheming Doctor Wears Disguise During Fake COVID Shot Murder Plot" description: "In the UK, a disguised doctor injected his mom's boyfriend with poison to prevent the older man from inheriting property." date: "2024-10-08" modified: "2024-10-08" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/disguised-doctor-fake-covid-murder" categories: - "Developments" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "crime" - "poison" - "toxic chemicals" - "vaccines" --- # Scheming Doctor Wears Disguise During Fake COVID Shot Murder Plot ![In the UK, a disguised doctor injected his mom's boyfriend with poison to prevent the older man from inheriting property.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* In England, a doctor injected his mom's boyfriend with a toxic substance while wearing a disguise in an attempt to prevent the older man from inheriting property. As [*CBS News* reports](), Sunderland, UK-based doctor Thomas Kwan has been found guilty after admitting to the complex murder plot, which involved him tricking his mom's partner into thinking he was giving him a COVID booster shot. In January, the 53-year-old general practitioner went to great lengths to convince his mom's partner, 72-year-old Patrick O'Hara, that he was a nurse administering the vaccine. Besides using a wig and fake facial hair to obscure his identity, Kwan also sent falsified letters to his 70-something victim to lure him into getting the deadly jab. Suspicions began to arise even before the disguised doctor administered the shot to the older man, with his mother, Jenny Leung, commenting that the "nurse" was the same height as her son. Kwan reportedly fled soon after giving O'Hara the toxic shot. After being identified via security camera footage, Kwan was tracked back to his own abode where [Northumbria police said]() they found arsenic, a "poisoner's handbook," and files on how to get away with murder by poisoning. Though the exact toxin Kwan used remains unknown — because he refused to say what was in the shot he gave O'Hara — crown prosecutors said it was likely a pesticide of some sort. While the victim is lucky to be alive, *CBS* notes that he suffered major injuries from the shot that appeared to eat away at his flesh. He spent weeks in intensive care, and ultimately had to have parts of his arm removed. As [*The Guardian* reported](), law enforcement was astounded by the amount of effort Kwan put into his conspiracy to prevent O'Hara from potentially inheriting his mother's house after she dies. It was, as those prosecutors described at trial, "one of the most elaborate criminal plots in recent memory." Though he pleaded guilty to poisoning O'Hara, Kwan's refusal to name his poison resulted, as police claim, in the older man's health deteriorating while they rushed to find a cure for the unknown substance. With his guilty plea in place, Kwan now awaits sentencing — and as the [judge in his trial said](), he can expect a "substantial" prison term for his despicable machinations. **More on poison:** [*Chess Player Accused of Poisoning Board With Mercury*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()