Surgeon who amputated own legs jailed for fraud and pornography offences

An NHS vascular surgeon who deliberately arranged the removal of his own legs has been jailed for two years and eight months for insurance fraud and possession of extreme pornography.

Neil Hopper, 49, from Truro in Cornwall, had carried out hundreds of amputations before undergoing the procedure himself in 2019.

Prosecutor Nicholas Lee told Truro Crown Court that Hopper lied to insurers by claiming his amputations were the result of sepsis and not self-inflicted. He said Hopper had actually used ice and dry ice to freeze his legs so that surgeons would be forced to remove them.

Mr Lee said Hopper admitted two counts of fraud and three of possessing extreme pornography, adding that he had a “sexual interest in amputation.” He told the court Hopper’s fraudulent claims from two companies amounted to more than £466,000. He said Hopper was driven by “greed” and had even messaged a friend about the claims, telling him to “milk it.”

“He enjoyed the interest from the media in his case,” Mr Lee said. “His motivations were a combination of obsession with removing parts of his own body and a sexual interest in doing so. It seems to have been a long-standing ambition of his.”

Judge James Adkin, in sentencing, said he accepted that Hopper, who had no previous convictions, was remorseful. But he said the “level of harm” in three body mutilation videos linked to the pornography charges was “exceptionally high.”

Hopper first complained of severe pain in his feet in 2019. He was treated for suspected sepsis and told by doctors that he should have his legs amputated. He did not, however, tell medics that he had deliberately caused the injuries, the court heard.

Mr Lee said Hopper returned to work in less than six months with prosthetic legs. He said Hopper was arrested in March 2023 and suspended from the medical register in December that year.

In mitigation, defence counsel Andrew Langdon KC said the revelations had been a “shock” to Hopper’s friends. “He [Hopper] has been committed to working to the service of others. The whole saga is very difficult to comprehend,” he said.

Mr Langdon said Hopper had suffered body dysphoria since childhood and regarded his feet as an “unwelcome extra” and a “persisting never-ending discomfort.” He said Hopper did not regret the amputations but “bitterly regrets” the dishonesty about their cause.

The pornography charges were tied to three videos of body mutilation Hopper purchased online. Mr Lee said they did not involve children. He told the court Hopper was identified during investigations into Marius Gustavson, who ran the EunuchMaker website.

Mr Lee said Hopper had paid between £10 and £35 for the videos, which showed men willingly having their genitals removed. He said Hopper also exchanged about 1,500 messages with Gustavson, asking how much dry ice he had used in his own amputations.

Gustavson was jailed for life with a minimum term of 22 years at the Old Bailey in 2024 for leading an extreme body modification ring.

Mr Langdon said Hopper had been “totally overwhelmed by support from friends and family which made it even more difficult to tell them what had really happened.”

Hopper, originally from Aberystwyth in Ceredigion, worked at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust (RCHT) from 2013 until his arrest.

A spokesperson for the Trust said the convictions were not connected to Hopper’s “professional conduct” at its hospitals. “We want to reassure the public that our exhaustive investigations have found no evidence whatsoever to indicate any risk or harm to patients at our hospitals,” the spokesperson said.

Assistant Chief Constable Jim Pearce of Devon and Cornwall Police said officers had “worked closely” with the Trust. He said none of the charges related to Hopper’s professional work and no risks had been found to patients he treated.

Some of Hopper’s former patients, however, have raised concerns. Mike Bird, a partner at Enable Law, said the case had caused “shock and grave concern.”

“Some have had life-changing surgery and are now worried it was not really needed,” he said. “While we understand that RCHT have said that the charges do not relate to his professional conduct and there is apparently no evidence suggesting any risk to patients, this is such a serious situation that there must be a rigorous public investigation.”

The Crown Prosecution Service said it would apply under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2022 to recover the money Hopper obtained through fraud.

One patient defended him. Jason Abbot, 38, from Hayle, whose foot was amputated by Hopper in 2022 because of arthritis, said he was satisfied with his care. 

“He was great, very supportive of the situation, [he gave] me loads of information about it and told me to have a really good think about it and I did,” he said. Abbot admitted he was shocked by the conviction. “I never thought he would do anything like that.”

Hopper also trained at the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport, Wales, in 2011, and in a 2023 interview with the BBC he said he had worked in Swansea and Bangor. The relevant health boards have been asked to confirm those postings.