The shocking story of a British doctor who amputated his legs for sexual gratification

Dr Neil Hopper was once a well-regarded vascular surgeon in UK’s Cornwall, trusted by patients to carry out some of the most delicate operations. But behind that reputation lay a hidden obsession that has since stunned his colleagues, his patients, and the public.

On Thursday, Hopper was jailed after it was revealed that he had deliberately amputated both his legs for sexual gratification. Even more startling, he then pretended to have sepsis in order to claim nearly £467,000 (Rs 5.5 crore) in insurance payouts.

On Thursday, Judge James Adkin sentenced Hopper, a married father, to 32 months in prison, ruling that he must serve at least 40 per cent of that term before being eligible for parole.

The case has been described as one of the strangest and most unsettling ever to reach a UK courtroom. Here’s what happened.

The shocking confession

Hopper, 49, who had once carried out hundreds of NHS amputation operations, became the subject of suspicion in 2019 when he turned up at the hospital with severe injuries to his legs.

In April of that year, he used dry ice to freeze his limbs but told doctors he had been unwell with diarrhoea and vomiting. Believing him, staff treated him for suspected sepsis. He later underwent a double foot amputation, followed by surgery to remove both legs below the knees.

According to the court, Hopper’s desire to become an amputee was not accidental but deliberate — and rooted in a long-standing sexual interest.

“You subsequently made fraudulent insurance claims … by representing that the injuries were organic, caused by sepsis, when you caused the injury seemingly at least in part for sexual gratification,” Judge Adkin told him during sentencing.

He then made claims to two insurers which resulted in total payouts of £466,653.81.  After receiving the compensation, Hopper spent the money on “luxury”, prosecutor Nicholas Lee said.

Investigators also uncovered that Hopper was in possession of extreme pornographic material. These included videos bought from a notorious body-modification website known as EunuchMaker, which depicted graphic acts of genital mutilation.

The court heard that Hopper had purchased three videos showing men having their genitals removed and exchanged thousands of online messages with the site’s operator, Michael Gustavson, in which he discussed his own amputations.

The court heard how, at one point, Hopper sent a picture of his bandaged feet to Gustavson with the message, “It feels so cool. No feet!”

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

Prosecutors told the Cornish court that Gustavson, who made more than £300,000 from the website between 2017 and 2021, had himself undergone castration and an amputation, and had assisted others in removing body parts. He was jailed for life at the Old Bailey last year, with a minimum term of 22 years.

Patients left unsettled

The revelations about Hopper have left many of his former patients deeply uneasy. Some are now calling for an independent inquiry to ensure that no one underwent unnecessary surgery at his hands.

Mike Bird, a partner at Enable Law, told The Independent that the case had caused “shock and grave concern” among those treated by the surgeon. “Some have had life-changing surgery and are now worried it was not really needed,” he said.

Police, however, were quick to clarify that Hopper’s criminal conduct was unrelated to his hospital work. Assistant Chief Constable Jim Pearce said Devon and Cornwall Police had worked closely with the trust and “none of the criminal charges related to Hopper’s professional conduct, with no risk to patients he treated in his work at the hospital identified during the current police investigation.”

Still, the news has left patients struggling to process the idea that their trusted surgeon had such a hidden life.

Jason Abbot, 38, from Hayle, who had his foot amputated by Hopper in November 2022 due to severe arthritis, said he was shocked by the conviction.

“He was great, very supportive of the situation, [he gave] me loads of information about it and told me to have a really good think about it and I did,” Abbot told the BBC. “I never thought he would do anything like that,” he added.

With input from agencies