He was once named one of the bravest people in the United Kingdom, but just five years later, former surgeon Neil Hopper's life is taking a downward turn. Despite winning the Against All Odds title at the Amplifon Awards for Brave Britons 2020, the vascular surgeon has now been charged with two counts of fraud by false representation, as well as another charge for encouraging or assisting in the commission of grievous bodily harm.
The 49-year-old performed hundreds of amputations during his career as a surgeon, but this reportedly went beyond his patients.
Heralded as 'brave', Hopper even appeared on television to explain how his legs were amputated below the knee due to sepsis. Discussing his double amputation with the BBC, Hopper said it made his life 'more interesting' and added: "I do quite a lot of amputations and the one thing that kept going around in my mind was power tools because you use power tools.
"The thought of power tools being used on me was icky. It was really weird." Being told it would take about three months to learn to walk again, Hopper boasted that he did it in just three hours.
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Cornwall Live reports how, between August 2018 and December 2020, Hopper apparently bought videos from an extreme body modification website called 'TheEunuchMaker', which showed the removal of limbs. He's then said to have "encouraged [website owner] Marius Gustavson to remove body parts of third parties."
The courts found that Hopper had undergone a 'self-inflicted' amputation and attempted to fool insurers to make a financial gain.
It's alleged that between June 3 and 26, 2019, Hopper made purposeful false representations to insurers, with two amounts totaling £446,000 ($631,000).
The former surgeon appeared from custody and didn't enter a plea for any of the three charges during a 40-minute hearing.
The tale takes another turn when a post-operation Hopper decided he wanted to live his dream of going to space, being shortlisted for the European Space Agency's para-astronaut program before being eliminated from the process.
It's noted that Hopper hasn't worked for the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust since March 2023, while the charges also aren't connected to his work as a surgeon.
A Devon and Cornwall Police spokesperson said: "The Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, where Mr Hopper has been employed, has worked closely with Devon and Cornwall Police throughout the investigation."
A spokesperson for the hospital trust concluded: "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.
“Former patients with any questions or concerns about their treatment can contact the Royal Cornwall Hospitals’ patient experience team.”