A GP in Sunderland has been accused of making and using chemical weapon ricin, on top of his attempted murder charges. Thomas Kwan was already facing court in relation to a poisoning case in Newcastle, which he allegedly committed. A property located in Stockton-on-Tees was searched and the garage was being investigated in late February. Mr. Kwan appeared at Newcastle Crown Court where his trial date has been set for the end of July. The married father-of-one was not granted bail and is currently being held in custody.
At the hearing, Mr. Kwan confirmed his name and stated that he understood the proceedings. He has yet to enter a plea and the prosecution has stated that this was a serious and complex case which may require legal aid to be allocated. The court was told that Mr. O’Hara, who was the intended victim in the poisoning incident, was not a patient of Dr. Kwan.
Ricin is a chemical weapon made from the seeds of the castor oil plant. It can cause fatal lung injury if inhaled and causes gastrointestinal symptoms if ingested. There is no medical antidote to ricin poisoning, and treatment consists of supportive measures while one’s immune system recovers. To date, there have been very few correct applications of ricin as a poison, with the effects of the poison being highly dependent on how the poison was administered.
The effects of ricin are slow enough that symptom onset may not happen for several hours after exposure. Ricin used in carbon-based substances like table salt or sugar is unlikely to be dangerous, as it won’t enter the bloodstream through ingestion. It is unknown whether the ricin found on the premises was pure, and if it was, how it was refined, and what form it was in
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