TRURO, ENGLAND — A former NHS vascular surgeon has been jailed after deliberately destroying his own legs to satisfy a sexual fetish, then lying to insurers to claim nearly half a million pounds in payouts.
Neil Hopper, 49, from Cornwall, used dry ice in 2019 to freeze his lower legs until they became unsalvageable, leading to a double amputation. He later claimed the cause was sepsis and told insurers his disability was the result of a sudden illness.
Prosecutors said Hopper fraudulently secured more than £467,000 from two insurance companies. He was sentenced to 22 months in prison for fraud and a further 10 months for possessing extreme pornographic material, bringing his total sentence to 32 months. The images included depictions of genital mutilation linked to the EunuchMaker site run by convicted mutilator Marius Gustavson.
Judge Simon Carr described Hopper’s actions as “a deliberate and sustained deception carried out for both financial gain and sexual gratification.” The court also imposed a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Hopper, once regarded as a leading vascular surgeon, had been suspended from the medical register since December 2023 and had earlier lost his NHS post. The Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust, where he previously worked, said there was no evidence his fetish had influenced patient care.
Even so, some former patients have expressed fears that past surgeries may have been unnecessary, prompting calls for further investigation.
Hopper is expected to serve half of his 32-month sentence in custody before being released on license.
