Doctor charged with attempted murder

Image caption, A police cordon remained around a property in Ingleby Barwick on Wednesday

A doctor has been charged with attempted murder in an investigation into a suspected poisoning in Newcastle.

Thomas Kwan, 52, was charged following searches of a property at Brading Court in Ingleby Barwick, near Stockton-on-Tees, on Tuesday, during which "unknown substances" were found, police said.

Mr Kwan, of Brading Court, appeared before magistrates in Newcastle on Wednesday, where he was remanded in custody.

He is due to appear at Newcastle Crown Court on 6 March.

The court heard Mr Kwan works as a GP in Sunderland.

Northumbria Police confirmed the alleged victim, a man in his 70s, is not one of Mr Kwan's patients.

A police cordon was still in place outside a property in Ingleby Barwick on Wednesday, where forensic searches have been taking place.

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