A former NHS surgeon who deliberately froze his legs to require amputation to satisfy a sexual obsession has been jailed for fraud. Neil Hopper, 49, a vascular surgeon, pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud by false representation after claiming nearly £500,000 from insurers by stating his legs were amputated due to sepsis, rather than self-inflicted injury.
Hopper was sentenced to 32 months at Truro Crown Court on Thursday. He also admitted three charges of possessing extreme pornographic images from the website EunuchMaker. The court heard that in April 2019, he used dry ice to freeze his legs to the point they were no longer viable, leading to amputation. He then made claims to Aviva and Old Mutual Health, receiving £466,653.81, which he spent on a campervan, hot tub, wood burner, and building works.
The case came to light following investigations into Marius Gustavson, who ran the EunuchMaker website and was jailed for life last year for leading an extreme body modification ring. Hopper worked for the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust from 2013 until his suspension in March 2023 after his arrest. He was suspended from the medical register in December 2023, and the court heard his wife is seeking a divorce.
Despite the trust stating that the charges did not relate to his professional conduct and that there was no evidence of risk to patients, former patients, including some who underwent amputations, have sought legal advice from Enable Law over concerns about their treatment. The judge also imposed a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and set a timetable for a proceeds of crime investigation to recover some of the fraudulently obtained funds.
