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An NHS vascular surgeon who was sexually “obsessed” with becoming an amputee used dry ice to freeze his legs to the point they needed to be removed then claimed £466,653 from his insurers.
Neil Hopper, 49, who carried out hundreds of amputations for patients, has been jailed for 32 months after he admitted to lying to insurers over the removal of his own legs and possessing extreme pornography from a man dubbed the “Eunuch Maker”.
The surgeon told insurers that his injuries were the “result of sepsis and were not self-inflicted”, when in fact he had used dry ice to freeze his legs to the extent they needed to be amputated below the knee.
He then made claims to the insurers which resulted in total payouts of £466,653.81.
Appearing at Truro Crown Court on Thursday, he pleading guilty to two counts of fraud by false representation between 3 June and 26 June 2019.
He also admitted three charges of possessing extreme pornographic images, relating to videos by a website called the Eunuch Maker, where users paid for films of amputations and other extreme body modifications.
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Neil Hopper had ‘dreamt of’ having his legs removed, a court heard (Instagram)
Judge James Adkin, the honorary recorder of Truro, heard Hopper was identified following investigations into Marius Gustavson who ran the site.
Gustavson was jailed for life with a minimum term of 22 years at the Old Bailey last year for leading an extreme body modification ring, which carried out male castration, penis removal and other procedures on people as young as 16.
The Norwegian national once cooked human testicles to eat in a salad, and also had his own penis removed with a kitchen knife, and froze his own leg so it was amputated.
The court heard last year that extreme body modification is linked to a subculture where men become “nullos”, short for genital nullification, by having their penis and testicles removed.
Gustavson netted more than £300,000 between 2017 and 2021 after posting videos of various procedures on his Eunuch Maker website.
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Marius Gustavson led the extreme body modification ring (PA Media)
Nicholas Lee, prosecuting, told the court that Hopper had bought three videos from the EunuchMaker.com website for £10 and £35, respectively, showing men willingly having their genitals removed.
He also exchanged around 1,500 messages with Gustavson about his own lower leg amputations and how he had done it, including asking how much dry ice he used.
“It is evident from the messages that Mr Hopper wished to become an amputee and it was always something he had dreamt of,” Mr Lee said.
“Something he has been obsessed with and had a sexual interest in becoming an amputee.”
Gustavson told Hopper he needed to immerse his legs in ice and dry ice for at “least eight hours” and would also require prescription painkillers, which he bought from the dark web.
Andrew Langdon KC, mitigating, told the court Hopper had grown up in a rural village in Wales and felt he was in the wrong body from a young age.
“He was troubled by his gender, he wanted to be female,” Mr Langdon said, adding that his client identified with body integrity identity disorder and those with a desire to amputate one or more healthy limbs.
Hopper experienced “persistent, never ending” thoughts about his feet amputated before he decided to cause “irreversible damage to his legs” in April 2019, when his family were staying with his in laws.
“He knows in the days and weeks that followed, he let himself down in the most shameful way,” Mr Langdon said.
The barrister said Hopper insists his thoughts and behaviour have not had an impact on his job and he always tried his best for his patients.
In 2020, Hopper was named one of the bravest people in Britain after winning the Against All Odds title at the Amplifon Awards for Brave Britons 2020, in a virtual ceremony hosted by BBC Breakfast.
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Vascular surgeon Neil Hopper used dry ice to cause irreversible damage to his legs (PA Media)
The surgeon has not worked at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust since March 2023.
The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service’s interim orders tribunal placed restrictions on his practice the following month while the General Medical Council investigated, and he has been suspended from the medical register since December 2023.
A Devon and Cornwall Police spokeswoman said: “The Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, where Mr Hopper has been employed, has worked closely with Devon and Cornwall Police throughout the investigation.”
A hospital trust spokesman added: “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 Royal Cornwall Hospitals from 2013 until he was suspended from duty in March 2023, following his initial arrest.
“Former patients with any questions or concerns about their treatment can contact the Royal Cornwall Hospitals’ patient experience team.”
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