A former NHS surgeon who deliberately froze his legs to require amputation to satisfy a sexual obsession, then falsely claimed nearly £500,000 from insurers, has been jailed for 32 months.
Neil Hopper, 49, a vascular surgeon at Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud by false representation at Truro Crown Court. He claimed his legs were amputated due to sepsis, when in fact he had used dry ice in April 2019 to cause the injuries himself.
Hopper also admitted three charges of possessing extreme pornographic images, including videos from the website EunuchMaker, operated by Marius Gustavson, who was jailed for life for leading an extreme body modification ring.
The court heard that after the amputation, Hopper made insurance claims totalling £466,653.81 from Aviva and Old Mutual Health, spending the money on a campervan, hot tub, wood burner and building works. He was arrested in March 2023 and suspended from the medical register that December.
Judge James Adkin imposed a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years and set a timetable for a proceeds of crime investigation. The court was told Hopper would lose his home. Former patients have sought legal advice over concerns about their treatment, though the trust maintains there was no evidence of risk to patients.
