Grandfather reveals 'it should have been the end of me' after he was injected with poison by his partner's murderous GP son amid inheritance row

A grandfather has revealed it 'should have been the end of me' after he was injected with poison by a murderous GP amid an inheritance row.

Patrick O'Hara, 72, told a court his life has been ruined by the actions of his ex partner's son, Dr Thomas Kwan, 51, who disguised himself as an NHS nurse to deliver what he hoped would be a lethal injection.

Kwan, who is now facing a potential life term for trying to kill Mr O'Hara, wanted to inherit his mother's home but they had fallen out after she decided she wanted to give it to her partner of 20 years instead.

The 'money obsessed' GP hoarded the ingredients for ricin and was initially believed to have used the chemical weapon in the attack on January 22 but police now believe it was more likely a pesticide.

Wearing a grey sweater and trousers, Mr O'Hara, a retired environmental analyst, gave an emotional statement to Newcastle Crown Court on the devastating effects of being injected with iodomethane Kwan.

Mr O'Hara said: 'Overall, this incident should have been the end of me. The nature of what had occurred to my body has left me speechless.

'Had it have not been for medical intervention I am positive that, not only would I have lost my left arm, but my life as well.

'In stark contrast, I am amazed at how resilient the human body is.

'I managed to recover quite well from the surgeries and even managed to get back to playing some rounds of golf.'

Mr O'Hara narrowly escaped with his life and was left with horrific scarring when the jab caused the flesh-eating condition necrotising fasciitis, which ate away sections of his arm.

But as he was recovering and returning to a semblance of a normal life he was struck by debilitating PTSD which caused him to have hallucinations of Kwan's face, terrifying flashbacks to the injection and his hair to fall out.

As the sentencing process for Kwan began at Newcastle Crown Court today, Mr O'Hara faced the man who tried to kill him across the court as he read out his personal victim statement.

He told how his life changed completely on January 22 this year when Kwan arrived at his house disguised as an NHS nurse who would be delivering a Covid booster jab.

Mr O'Hara said: 'As a result of these incidents, I have been left a shell of an individual.

'I suffer from extreme fatigue and every time I get changed I am aware of the disfigurement to my arm which is an everlasting memory of the attack on me and this in addition has shattered my self-confidence.'

He went on: 'I genuinely feel as if I have been to hell and back. Thomas will never comprehend or know what it's like to suffer in the manner of which I am.

'I would like for the court to take into consideration the full range of suffering that not only I, but my family have had to endure this past year. Not just the physical but mental scarring that will never leave me.

'I hope that Thomas is held accountable for the despicable crime he has committed against me. I genuinely believe that from his perspective he only wished for his actions to impact one person.

'By stark contrast this has affected a huge amount of personnel, not just my family, the hospital staff, emergency services, he has brought the NHS into disrepute and from my perspective he was in the ultimate position of trust.

'Countless individuals each and every day place their trust in doctors to do the right thing, to carry out their duties as per their training and the oath that they have undertaken. He has flagrantly abused his position of trust.

'I will never get over the anxiety and pain that he has caused me and my family.'

Kwan initially denied attempted murder when his trial began on October 3, but he changed his plea to guilty after the prosecution opened its case.

Peter Makepeace, KC, prosecuting, argued that he should be given a life sentence when Mrs Justice Lambert passes sentence later this year.

The court has previously heard how Kwan carefully planned his attack, gaining Mr O'Hara's trust by mocking up NHS letters saying he had been selected for a Covid booster jab at home.

He even created a fake ID card in which he was depicted in dark face makeup, a wig and beard.

Neither Mr O'Hara nor his partner, Kwan's mother Jenny Leung, recognised him as he delivered the near-fatal injection at the home they shared in central Newcastle.

Mr Makepeace told the court Kwan was a man of considerable means who had put in an offer on a house in the south of England for £2m.

However he said: 'This was not a man motivated by greed for the sake of necessity. This was greed for the sake of greed.'

The case adjourned until later this month or December When Mrs Justice Lambert will deliver her sentence, which could be a life term.

The court heard she will begin at a 30 year starting point before deciding aggravating and mitigating factors and arriving at the term he must serve in jail.