27 May 2025 Professional poker player Tom Dwan is looking to pursue legal action after being held for two weeks at a psychiatric facility in London against his will. The 37-year-old American accused the Park Royal Centre for Mental Health of mistreating him. He's getting ready to file "a bunch of lawsuits". According to Dwan's tweets from inside the hospital on April 29, staff were "trying to kill either me or most of my brain." He claimed that the hospital was treating him against his will. It was hard to keep up with his tweets about foreign intelligence agencies, the U.S. military, and the idea that his phone was hacked and his water was drugged. ">Under no circumstances should I be drugged or sedated. This was agreed at high level us and uk. ">— Tom Dwan (@TomDwan) April 29, 2025 Dwan tagged politicians in his posts, including U.S. President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper. Was It a Mental Health Episode? Many people thought the tweets were signs of a significant mental health problem, like being crazy or psychotic. Dwan claimed that cops in the UK had punctured his lung and broken his ribs and hand. ">Uk met police likely broke my rib and I’d guess small chance punctured lung, still no x ray. Also 20-30% broken hand (small), buncha other minor injuries. The weirdo Fkers that are “doc/nurses” but still in investigative not proper normal ones are brutal. ">— Tom Dwan (@TomDwan) April 30, 2025 But Will Shillibier, a reporter for PokerNews UK, went to see Dwan while he was in the hospital and said he looked fine and had no apparent signs of being hurt. After 21 days in the UK, Dwan wrote on May 18 that he was returning to the U.S. and said, "I'll be filing many complaints and a bunch of different lawsuits..." But only stuff that belongs on proper channels; that's fine with me." He also said that using drugs for fun had nothing to do with what happened. How the UK Mental Health Act Works Under the Mental Health Act, someone can be confined in the UK if two doctors and an approved mental health worker think they have a mental problem and need immediate care to keep themselves or others safe. Section 2 of the Act allows up to 28 days of holding for evaluation and treatment. Section 3 provides for up to six months of imprisonment, and extending that time is possible if the case is more risky. Given the circumstances, it is permissible to administer treatment without obtaining permission, if deemed necessary. However, people who are in detention still have rights. They can get legal help, plead with a court, and contact their closest family member. Dwan asserts that they failed to uphold these rights. One tweet he sent stated, "They took my phone and other devices, wouldn't give in to my repeated requests for medical care or my legal rights (nearest relative, tribunal, imho), and did everything they could to keep me from getting in touch with anyone." He acknowledged that they confiscated his phone after he shared a picture of an NHS staffer with his followers. What Led to Dwan’s Detention? There are still many unclear facts about what led to Dwan's admission. In some early tweets, he mentioned meeting someone who purported to be a flight worker on his trip to London and claimed that this person messed with his phone. Dwan thought the event was an attempt to set him up. ">Btw on the flight early on, as the “flight attendant” plugged in my phone, he wiped my browser history and other info, so this plan was obv in motion for a while. Please help. I’m so scared. I’m a good man, this is nuts. 😢💔 ">— Tom Dwan (@TomDwan) April 30, 2025 Fellow poker pro Daniel Negreanu discussed what was happening in a recent episode of his podcast, "Mania", which he hosts with his wife, Amanda Leatherman. Negreanu said, "He flew to London to meet someone, but I won't say who. At the airport, he was acting crazy." He said he was worried about Dwan and that the incident wasn't the first time he'd seen him acting strangely. Negreanu remembered an event at Aria in Las Vegas where Dwan insisted on taking the battery from Negreanu’s phone before speaking with him. It was reported that Dwan talked normally after turning off the phone, as if nothing was strange. "He's always felt like he had to save everyone," Negreanu said. "He really thinks that if he just talked to the right people, like Putin or Kim Jong Un, he could end major global conflicts." What’s Next for Dwan? Now that Dwan is back in the U.S., he seems determined to clear his name and make Park Royal Hospital take responsibility. How strong his civil claims are will depend on whether the mental health doctors in the UK followed the proper steps. He might not have many options if they did. If that's true, the poker star could be in for a court battle that gets people's attention outside of poker.
