A British vascular surgeon who deliberately inflicted injuries upon himself that led to the amputation of his legs has been jailed for fraud after he falsely claimed nearly £500,000 (around $675,00) in insurance payouts.
The surgeon, Neil Hopper, 49, told insurers that the injuries were a result of sepsis, but a court heard that his actions were motivated by a long-held ambition and a sexual interest in amputation.
The court heard that in April 2019, Hopper used dry ice to freeze his feet for approximately eight hours, causing them to become “unviable.” He was later admitted to the hospital, where he was treated for suspected sepsis, and his legs were subsequently amputated below the knees. After the surgery, he filed claims with two insurance companies.
Hopper contacted Marius “eunuch-maker” Gustavson
Neil Hopper, the ‘bionic’ NHS doctor sent to prison after his deceit unravelled, appeared on This Morning as he became a feted conference speaker
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Prosecutor Nicholas Lee told the court that Hopper’s actions were driven by a “combination of obsession with removing parts of his own body and a sexual interest in doing so.” He had exchanged thousands of messages with Marius Gustavson, the so-called “eunuch-maker,” who ran an illegal extreme body modification website for subscribers, discussing his desire to become an amputee.
The court heard that Gustavson, who featured men on his site undergoing similar procedures, had provided Hopper with guidance on how to freeze his own legs. Gustavson is currently serving 22 years in prison for his crimes.
In his defense, Andrew Langdon KC said Hopper had suffered from body integrity identity disorder (BID) since childhood, describing his feet as a “persisting never-ending discomfort.”
While Hopper expressed remorse for his dishonesty, his counsel stated he did not regret the amputations themselves.
No evidence of “risk or harm to patients”
Despite reassurances from the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust that its investigations found “no evidence whatsoever to indicate any risk or harm to patients,” a medical negligence law firm has stated that some of Hopper’s former patients, including those who underwent amputations, have sought legal advice amid fears their own surgeries may not have been necessary.
Hopper, who had worked as a consultant vascular surgeon for the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, pleaded guilty at Truro Crown Court to two counts of fraud by false representation and three counts of possessing extreme pornographic images.
Hopper was sentenced to 32 months in prison and was also handed a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order. The Crown Prosecution Service described the case as “highly unusual and shocking,” revealing that Hopper’s fraudulent activities came to light during a separate investigation into a website dedicated to extreme body modification.
