An NHS surgeon who carried out hundreds of amputations on patients before deliberately freezing his own legs to claim insurance payouts has been jailed for fraud and possessing extreme pornography.
Neil Hopper, 49, of Truro, Cornwall, was sentenced at Truro Crown Court to two years and eight months in prison after admitting two counts of fraud and three counts of possessing extreme pornography.
Hopper, a vascular surgeon at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, underwent below-the-knee amputations in May 2019, claiming that the operations were the result of sepsis. In reality, prosecutors revealed, he had used ice and dry ice to freeze his own legs, forcing doctors to remove them.
The court heard he lied to two insurance firms, securing payouts totalling more than £466,000.
‘Driven by Obsession and Greed’
Prosecutor Nicholas Lee told the court Hopper had a “long-standing obsession” with body modification and a sexual interest in amputation. He added that Hopper had even messaged a friend encouraging him to “milk it” when discussing his fraudulent claims.
“His motivations were a combination of obsession with removing parts of his own body and a sexual interest in doing so,” Mr Lee said. “Greed was a powerful factor.”
Hopper enjoyed the media attention that followed his amputations, but he never revealed the true cause to family, colleagues or doctors.
In addition to fraud, Hopper admitted possessing extreme pornography. He had purchased three videos online from the “EunuchMaker” website, run by Marius Gustavson, which showed men voluntarily undergoing genital removal. Gustavson was jailed for life in 2024 for leading an extreme body modification ring.
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The judge, James Adkin, said the level of harm in the material Hopper possessed was “exceptionally high.”
Defence counsel Andrew Langdon KC said Hopper had suffered from body dysphoria since childhood and described his feet as an “unwelcome extra” that caused him “never-ending discomfort.” While Hopper did not regret his amputations, Mr Langdon said he “bitterly regrets” lying about the cause to insurers, friends, and colleagues.
Shock Among Patients and Colleagues
Hopper worked at Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust from 2013 until his arrest in March 2023. The trust said the convictions did not relate to his professional conduct and stressed that independent reviews of his surgical work had found “no evidence whatsoever to indicate any risk or harm to patients.”
However, some former patients have expressed concern. Medical negligence specialists at Enable Law reported being contacted by several of Hopper’s ex-patients worried about whether their amputations were necessary.
Mike Bird, a partner at the firm, said: “Some have had life-changing surgery and are now worried it was not really needed. There must be a rigorous public investigation to restore confidence.”
One of Hopper’s former patients, Jason Abbot, 38, from Hayle, whose foot was amputated in 2022 due to severe arthritis, defended the surgeon’s care. “He was great, very supportive of the situation,” Mr Abbot said. “I never thought he would do anything like that.”
Police and CPS Response
Assistant Chief Constable Jim Pearce of Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed Hopper’s convictions were unrelated to his NHS work: “No risk to patients he treated in his work at the hospital was identified during the investigation.”
The Crown Prosecution Service said it would seek to recover Hopper’s fraudulent gains under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2022.
A Shocking Fall from Grace
Hopper, originally from Aberystwyth, Wales, was once celebrated for his rapid return to work after his amputations, resuming surgery with prosthetic legs less than six months after the operations.
But his double life — respected NHS surgeon on one side, and fraudster driven by disturbing obsessions on the other — has left colleagues and patients reeling. “This case is shocking, disturbing and hard to comprehend,” Judge Adkin said in sentencing. “Your actions caused enormous damage, not only financially but to public trust.”
