A former NHS vascular surgeon who deliberately froze his legs to require amputation to satisfy a sexual obsession, then fraudulently claimed nearly £500,000 from insurers, has been jailed for 32 months.
Neil Hopper, 49, pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud by false representation at Truro Crown Court. He falsely told insurers Aviva and Old Mutual Health that his legs were amputated due to sepsis, when in fact he had used dry ice in April 2019 to cause the amputation himself. The court heard he had a long-standing sexual interest in the procedure.
Hopper also admitted three charges of possessing extreme pornographic images, including videos from a website called EunuchMaker. The investigation into Hopper began after the site's operator, Marius Gustavson, was jailed for life for leading an extreme body modification ring.
After the amputation, Hopper received insurance payouts totalling £466,653.81, which he spent on a campervan, hot tub, wood burner and building works. The judge imposed a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and set a timetable for a proceeds of crime investigation to recover some of the funds. The court heard Hopper will lose his home.
Hopper worked for the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust from 2013 until his suspension in March 2023 following his arrest. The trust stated the charges did not relate to his professional conduct and there was no evidence of risk to patients. However, former patients, including some who underwent amputations, have sought legal advice over concerns about their treatment.
Hopper spoke publicly about his amputation in interviews with the BBC and S4C in 2023, and was even shortlisted for the European Space Agency's search for an astronaut with a disability. He has been suspended from the medical register since December 2023.
