Neil Hopper: UK surgeon who lost legs jailed after lying about freezing them as part of sexual fetish

WARNING: GRAPHIC DETAIL

An acclaimed surgeon who claimed on television that he lost his legs to sepsis was in fact found to have deliberately caused his own injuries with dry ice to satisfy a sexual fetish.

Neil Hopper appeared on ITV’s This Morning to talk about his supposed battle with sepsis, saying he developed the illness after a family camping trip. But a court has now heard he inflicted damage on his own legs before later cashing in through insurance fraud.

Hopper, 49, was jailed for 32 months after admitting fraud worth more than £466,000 ($AU960,000).

Truro Crown Court heard he used dry ice to freeze his legs to the point they required amputation, something prosecutors described as a long-held ambition connected to a sexual interest.

Hopper intended to make a gain of £235,622 ($484,000) from one insurer and £231,031 ($475,000) from another. He also admitted three counts of possessing extreme pornography.

The 49‑year‑old’s deception came to light after the arrest of “Eunuch Maker” Marius Gustavson, the leader of a body modification network already jailed for life.

Gustavson, who inflicted severe injuries on himself, was at the centre of a case that uncovered Hopper’s role.

Prosecutor Nicholas Lee told the court that Hopper had purchased three videos from the EunuchMaker.com website, paying between £10 ($20) and £35 ($72), which depicted men voluntarily undergoing genital removal.

Prosecutor Nicholas Lee said Hopper had exchanged around 1500 messages with Gustavson, discussing the amputation of his own legs.

Mr Lee told the court: “It is evident from the messages that Mr Hopper wished to become an amputee and it was always something he had dreamt of. Something he has been obsessed with and had a sexual interest in becoming an amputee.”

Acting for the defence, Andrew Langdon KC said Hopper grew up in Wales and struggled with feelings about his gender. “He was troubled by his gender, he wanted to be female,” he said.

The lawyer added that in April 2019, Hopper made the decision to cause “irreversible damage to his legs” while 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 told the court.

Hopper’s wife now plans to divorce him and he is expected to lose his home. His medical career is also over.

Previously, Hopper had told media that he fell ill on a camping trip in 2019, while his daughter also became unwell but later recovered.

He said doctors warned him he would need multiple grafts and operations to try and salvage his legs but opted for amputation instead.

“I opted not to have hundreds and hundreds of operations but just to have one to sort it out,” he previously said, adding that he found the idea of power tools used during the procedure “icky”.

The father-of-three, once hailed as the “Bravest surgeon in Britain,” had even been shortlisted to join the European Space Agency’s disability astronaut program. He worked at Royal Cornwall Hospitals until March 2023, when he was suspended following his arrest.

A spokesperson for the NHS Trust said: “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.”