Featured Image Credit: BBC
The shocking story of Neil Hopper has come to an end, with the former surgeon admitting to having his own legs amputated in an attempt to commit insurance fraud. Hopper's story was initially one of hope, winning the Against All Odds title at the Amplifon Awards for Brave Britons 2020 after he claimed he'd lost his legs due to sepsis.
Instead, it turns out the vascular surgeon had purposefully had his limbs removed and was involved with the owner of a body modification website called the Eunuch Maker.
Appearing in court, it was alleged that between June 3 and 26, 2019, Hopper purposefully made false representations to insurers. Two amounts equalled £446,000 ($631,000), while the courts found that he'd undergone a 'self-inflicted' amputation while attempting to make a financial gain.
Returning for sentencing on September 4, the BBC confirms that Hopper now faces 32 months in jail.
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Hopper appeared at Truro Crown Court and was sentenced to 32 months after he pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud by false representation.
He also admitted to three charges of possessing extreme pornographic videos that were linked to the Eunuch Maker website, with the court hearing he had a "sexual interest in amputation."
Hopper had below-knee amputations for a 'mysterious illness' in May 2019, but in reality, prosecutor Nicholas Lee says he used ice and dry ice to freeze the limbs so they'd be amputated.
Judge James Adkin was told that Hopper was identified following an investigation into Eunuch Maker owner Marius Gustavson. While Adkin said Hopper was remorseful, he reiterated that the "level of harm" in terms of body mutilation in the three videos that were the subject of the pornography charges was "exceptionally high."
Hopper said that although he doesn't regret the operations, he "bitterly regrets" the "dishonesty" surrounding the amputation.
Alongside Hopper's 32 months, Gustavson was jailed for life with a minimum term of 22 years after appearing at the Old Bailey in 2024. Gustavson was charged as the head of an extreme body modification ring, known for procedures including castration and penis removal on males as young as 16.
It's said that Gustavson once cooked human and ate them in a salad, as well as having his own penis amputated with a kitchen knife, and having his leg frozen so it could be amputated.
Gustavson reportedly made over £300,000 ($403,000) for posting videos relating to amputation procedures between 2017 and 2021.
Extreme body modification has been linked to the idea of men becoming 'nullos', which is short for genital nullification.
A spokesperson for the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust said that Hopper’s conviction doesn't relate to his employment there from 2013 until he was suspended in March 2023. The trust promises that it has conducted a "comprehensive clinical reviews of surgery" carried out by Hopper, "including engaging an experienced independent clinical expert to review decisions to operate."
The trust concluded: "We want to reassure the public that our exhaustive investigations have found no evidence whatsoever to indicate any risk or harm to patients at our hospitals."
With Hopper claiming he's worked in both Swansea and Bangor, the BBC has contacted the relevant health boards to confirm.
