Dr. Neil Hopper, a 49-year-old British surgeon, has been found guilty of insurance fraud and possession of extreme pornography, according to a recent court ruling. Hopper, who had a peculiar fascination with amputation, intentionally damaged his own legs to the point of requiring amputation in a bid to defraud his insurance company.
Hopper, a vascular surgeon, had performed numerous amputations during his tenure with the National Health Service. In 2019, he subjected his own legs to eight hours of exposure to a mixture of ice and dry ice, causing such severe damage that amputation became necessary. He then falsely claimed to his insurers that he had contracted sepsis, a serious infection.
The court heard that Hopper’s actions were driven by a combination of his unusual sexual interest in amputation and financial greed. He managed to defraud two insurance companies out of more than £466,000 ($625,000), which he used to purchase an RV, make home improvements, buy a hot tub, and give gifts to his wife, among other things.
Hopper’s unusual behavior came to light during an investigation into EunuchMaker, a website specializing in extreme body modification pornography. Hopper had purchased videos from the site, leading to his arrest in March 2023. The operator of the website, Marius Gustavson, was sentenced to a minimum of 22 years in prison last year for leading an extreme body modification ring.
Hopper’s defense attorney, Andrew Langdon, explained that the surgeon had suffered from body dysphoria since childhood, viewing his feet as an “unwelcome extra” and a source of “persisting never-ending discomfort.” Hopper returned to work less than six months after his amputation, fitted with prosthetic legs.
Despite expressing regret for his dishonesty regarding the reason for his amputation, Hopper did not express regret for the operation itself. The news of his crimes came as a shock to his loved ones, according to Langdon.
Hopper was removed from the medical register in December 2023. He was sentenced to 22 months for two counts of fraud and 10 months for three counts of accessing extreme pornography, to be served consecutively for a total of 32 months.