British surgeon, 49, with sexual interest in amputation, got legs removed, jailed for insurance fraud

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A British surgeon, who had his own legs amputated, was jailed for two years and eight months after admitting to two counts of fraud and possessing extreme pornography, BBC reported.

Neil Hopper, 49, carried out hundreds of amputation operations on others before having his own legs removed in 2019.

He had claimed that his feet were in pain.

Sexual interest in amputation

The court heard that Hopper had a "sexual interest in amputation".

The fraudulent insurance claims from two firms totalled more than £466,000 (S$811,000).

Hopper used £255,000 (S$444,000) for building works at his home, had a £15,000 (S$26,100) hot tub put in and spent £6,000 (S$10,400) with a wood burner company, Sky News reported.

Hopper had suffered body dysphoria since he was a child and felt that his feet were an "unwelcome extra" and a "persisting never-ending discomfort" to him, the court also heard.

Claimed leg injuries not self-inflicted

The man from Truro, Cornwall, lied to insurers by claiming that injuries to his legs were not self-inflicted, but the result of sepsis.

Truro Crown Court heard that Hopper had below knee amputations in May 2019 after a "mysterious illness".

He had in fact used ice and dry ice to freeze his own legs in an act of self-mutilation in April 2019 to get them amputated.

He was treated for suspected sepsis, then told by surgeons that he should have his legs removed, and he was operated on.

He did not tell the medics the real cause of his injuries, the court heard.

Body mutilation videos had high level of harm

Judge James Adkin said during sentencing that Hopper was remorseful.

But the three videos of body mutilation, which were the subject of the pornography charges, possessed a "level of harm" that was "exceptionally high", the judge said.

The videos were purchased online for between £10 (S$17.40) and £35 (S$60.90) and did not feature children.

They showed men willingly having their genitals removed.

Tempted by greed and media interest

The prosecutor said Hopper had been tempted by "greed" and that he had "enjoyed" the interest from the media, as well as being motivated by his "obsession with removing parts of his own body and a sexual interest in doing so".

The bizarre case has generated significant public interest in Britain and elsewhere.

Hopper had messaged a friend about the insurance claims saying he should "milk it", the court heard.

Following his amputations, he was back at work in just under six months with prosthetic legs.

He was arrested in March 2023.

He has been suspended from the medical register since December 2023.

A previous patient who underwent a foot amputation said Hopper was a "supportive" doctor, who provided a lot of information, BBC reported.

How he was caught

Hopper was identified following investigations into Marius Gustavson, who ran the EunuchMaker website.

The accused had exchanged about 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.

Gustavson was jailed for life with a minimum term of 22 years in 2024 for leading an extreme body modification ring.

He had received about £300,000 (S$522,000) between 2017 and 2021 from his EunuchMaker website.

Some individuals featured in the videos were as young as 16.

Top photos via @bionicsurgeon Instagram & Devon and Cornwall Police