British Doctor Pleads Guilty to Attempted Murder with Fake COVID-19 Vaccine
A British doctor has pleaded guilty to attempting to kill his mother’s partner with a fake COVID-19 vaccine, donning an audacious disguise and forging medical documents in the process.
Kwan, 53, admitted in a U.K. courtroom Monday that he tried to kill Patrick O’Hara with a toxin that caused a "rare and life-threatening flesh-eating disease." The attack happened at the victim’s Newcastle home on January 22 and was following an inheritance dispute.
According to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Kwan’s elaborate scheme started in November of last year, when he forged a letter to his victim, claiming that O’Hara’s age qualified him for an at-home visit from a nurse at the address he shared with Kwan’s mother.
"This was followed up by another letter, stating that a vaccine appointment with a member of a home nursing team had been made for him. The home nursing team was itself a work of fiction, created by Kwan to facilitate his scheme," the CPS wrote in a press release.
When time for the vaccine appointment came, Kwan showed up in a disguise — a thick, dark wig placed over his own shorn hair, with a poker-straight fake moustache and beard to match.
Prosecutor Peter Makepeace, reports Reuters, had told jurors on the first day of the trial, last Thursday: "Sometimes, occasionally perhaps, the truth really is stranger than fiction."
Makepeace said Kwan was concerned about his mother’s will, which provided that her house would be inherited by O’Hara if he was still alive when his mother died.
"Mr. Kwan used his encyclopedic knowledge of, and research into, poisons to carry out his plan," Makepeace said. "That plan was to disguise himself as a community nurse, attend Mr. O’Hara’s address, the home he shared with the defendant’s mother, and inject him with a dangerous poison under the pretext of administering a Covid booster injection."
Makepeace said Kwan also used a vehicle with fake licence plates and disguised himself with head-to-toe protective clothing, tinted glasses and a surgical mask to visit the home in Newcastle.
Kwan will face sentencing in the future.
Conclusion
The case highlights the devastating consequences of Kwan’s actions and the importance of swift justice in such cases. The victim, O’Hara, was fortunate to have survived the attack, but the experience will undoubtedly have a lasting impact on his life.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What was the motive behind Kwan’s actions?
A: Kwan was concerned about his mother’s will, which would have left her house to O’Hara if he was still alive when she passed away.
Q: What was the nature of the toxin injected into O’Hara?
A: The toxin has not been officially identified, but prosecutors suspect it was a pesticide.
Q: How did Kwan’s disguise help him carry out the attack?
A: Kwan wore a wig, fake moustache and beard, and used head-to-toe protective clothing, tinted glasses, and a surgical mask to disguise himself as a community nurse.