A surgeon who lied to insurance companies about why his legs were amputated has been jailed for fraud.
NHS vascular surgeon Neil Hopper admitted telling insurance companies his legs had to be amputated due to illness, rather than self-inflicted injury.
Hopper, 49, was also in possession of extreme pornography made by Marius Gustavson, also known as the ‘Eunuch Maker’, who livestreamed castrations to a paying audience.
Truro crown court heard Hopper had a sexual interest in having his legs amputated, and in 2019 he used dry ice to freeze them until they were no longer viable, requiring amputation.
Between June 3 and July 20 of that year he dishonestly made a false representation to insurers Aviva and Old Mutual Health, that his ‘legs had been amputated because of illness rather than self-inflicted injury’.
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In total he received insurance payouts of £466,653.81 – but Hopper was identified during investigations into the Eunuch Maker website.
He had bought three videos from the site showing men willingly having their genitals removed, and also exchanged around 1,500 messages with Gustavson about his own leg amputations.
Nicholas Lee, prosecuting, said: ‘It is evident from the messages that Mr Hopper wished to become an amputee and it was always something he had dreamt of.
‘He has been obsessed with and had a sexual interest in becoming an amputee.’
Gustavson advised Hopper on how to amputate his legs, and told him he would need prescription painkillers which be bought on the dark web.
Hopper waited until his wife and children were away to dunk his feet in dry ice.
He kept messaging Gustavson, saying: ‘It’s going to be awesome being a double amputee.’
A few days later, a family friend was concerned for Hopper’s welfare and paramedics were called to his home in St Erme, near Truro, Cornwall.
He was taken to hospital with suspected sepsis. He had a double foot amputation, and a week later received a further operation to remove his legs below the knees.
Mr Lee added: ‘It is apparent that Neil Hopper didn’t tell the medical professionals doing all they could to help him the real cause of his injuries.’
Hopper had previously worked at Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, but had not worked there since March 2023.
Restrictions were placed on his practice the following month, and he has been under an interim suspension from the medical register since December 2023.
Andrew Langdon KC, mitigating, said his client had grown up in a rural village in Wales and felt he was ‘in the wrong body’ from a young age.
Hopper identified with body integrity identity disorder and those with a desire to amputate one or more healthy limbs, Mr Langdon said, and thoughts about his feet being amputated were ‘persistent, never ending’.
Mr Langdon said Hopper has accepted his wife now wants a divorce, he may lose his home, and his medical career is now over.
Hopper pleaded guilty to two charges of fraud by false representation and three counts of possessing extreme pornography.
Judge James Adkin jailed Hopper for 32 months and said he would serve 40% in custody before he could be considered for parole.
He was also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.
Passing sentence, the judge said: ‘In April 2019 you deliberately froze your lower legs causing direct damage using dry ice following instructions given by Gustavson.
‘You were admitted to hospital when you have the symptoms of sepsis well knowing what the medics will be looking out for.
‘You were in hospital for six weeks and after many tests and a variety of treatments the medics decided your feet could not be saved and they amputated on May 17.
‘You subsequently made fraudulent insurance claims to Aviva and Old Mutual Wealth receiving a total of £466,000 fraudulently by representing that the injuries were organic, caused by sepsis, when you caused the injury seemingly at least in part for sexual gratification.’
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