A former NHS surgeon who deliberately amputated his own legs to satisfy a disturbing sexual fetish has been permanently removed from the General Medical Council (GMC) register. Dr Neil Hopper, a consultant vascular surgeon at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro, used dry ice to freeze his legs so severely that they required amputation. He then falsely claimed he had developed sepsis during a family camping trip to justify the loss of his limbs.
Fraud and Pornography Convictions
Last year, Hopper pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud by false representation and three counts of possession of extreme pornographic images. The fraud involved claiming over £466,000 from two insurance companies after the amputations. In September, Truro Crown Court heard how Hopper had used dry ice in 2019 to freeze his legs to the point of requiring amputation, all to enact a sexual fantasy. He had also purchased and viewed amputation pornography from an illegal website known as 'The Eunuch Maker'.
GMC Tribunal Decision
The GMC tribunal struck Hopper off the register with immediate effect, banning him from working as a surgeon. The panel concluded that Hopper 'poses a risk to patient safety' and that the ban would 'maintain public confidence in the medical profession'. The tribunal noted that Hopper, who remains in prison, made no substantive objections to the immediate order. The panel stated: 'This means that Dr Hopper's registration will be suspended from today. The substantive direction will take effect 28 days from the date when written notification is deemed to have been served upon him, unless an appeal is made in the interim. If an appeal is made, the immediate order will remain in force until the appeal has concluded.'
The Scheme Uncovered
Hopper's fraudulent scheme came to light during an investigation into the Eunuch Maker website, which sold videos of amputations and body modifications, including penile removals. The website, now shut down, offered pay-to-view access to videos of extreme body modifications performed by Marius Gustavson and others. Six men were jailed for their involvement in the enterprise, which carried out male castration and other procedures on males as young as 16. Gustavson, the ringleader, once cooked human testicles to eat in a salad and also froze his own leg so it needed amputation. He netted over £300,000 between 2017 and 2021 from the website. He pleaded guilty to various offences, including five counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, and was jailed for life in May 2024 with a minimum term of 22 years.
Details of the Self-Inflicted Injuries
Hopper suffered the injuries in April 2019, leading to below-the-knee amputations. He claimed the injuries were due to sepsis, but he had actually caused them by placing his legs into a mixture of ice and dry ice purchased online. He even appeared on national television to lie about the cause of his amputations. After his sentencing, Richard Parkhouse of the CPS said: 'This is a highly unusual and shocking case. Hopper has a sexual fetish linked to amputation, and paid to access these images for his own gratification. In his communications with the website owner, the truth about his self-inflicted injuries was revealed. He failed to disclose this when making insurance claims and fraudulently pocketed almost half a million pounds.'
Evidence and Insurance Claims
Investigators found that Hopper had exchanged over 5,000 messages and emails with Gustavson, including discussions about the double amputation. Gustavson provided advice on how to freeze his legs. A PayPal transaction showed Hopper purchased 20kg of dry ice pellets on 14 April 2019, just days before paramedics found him with serious injuries. Following the amputations, Hopper claimed £235,622.14 from Avia and £231,031.67 from Old Mutual Wealth, totalling £466,653.81. At the time of his conviction, a spokesperson for Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust stated: 'The charges do not relate to Mr Hopper's professional conduct and there has been no evidence to suggest any risk to patients. Mr Hopper worked at the Trust from 2013 until he was suspended in March 2023 following his arrest.'
