An NHS vascular surgeon from Truro has admitted having his legs removed on purpose, then lying about losing them to sepsis to claim a £466,000 insurance payout.

Truro Crown Court heard on Thursday (September 4) that Neil Hopper, 49, had carried out hundreds of amputation operations, and froze his legs using dry ice while his wife and children were away. He was later found by a family friend and rushed to hospital, but told medical staff he had suffered flu-like symptoms.

He had both his feet and later both his legs amputated in hospital in May 2019, then made fraudulent insurance claims to Aviva and Old Mutual, totalling £466,653, the court heard. He later told the insurers his legs had been removed due to sepsis.

Hopper admitted two charges of fraud by false representation and three counts of possessing extreme pornographic material, relating videos purchased from the website The Eunuch Maker, run by Norwegian Marius Gustavson. It was Mr Gustavson, who was jailed for life in 2024, who advised Mr Hopper on how to freeze his legs; the correspondence between the two men led police to Mr Hopper.

Prosecutor Nicholas Lee told the court Hopper had lied to hospital professionals about the injuries that led to both his legs being amputated - not telling them they were "self-inflicted".

On the videos Hopper purchased from Gustavson, Mr Lee said he had "deliberately sought" the videos, which he had a "sexual" interest in. “It’s clearly a very unusual case,” he said. “He deliberately sought out videos of genital mutilation. He told Mr Gustavson he loved these videos and had watched them thousands of times.”

Defending Hopper, Andrew Langdon KC said his client had a "distaste" for his feet. “From a young age, he felt he was in the wrong body,” Mr Langdon said. “He was troubled by his gender. He wanted to be female.

“He suffered body dysphoria and a particular distaste for his feet. They never felt part of him; they felt as an unwelcome extra.”

Hopper was jailed for more than two-and-a-half years. His Honour Judge James Adkin jailed Hopper for 22 months for both fraud charges, both to run concurrently, and 10 months concurrently for the three charges, remarking that his injuries had been self-inflicted “seemingly, at least in part, for your own sexual gratification”.

Hopper was previously named one of the bravest people in Britain, receiving the Against All Odds title at the Amplifon Awards for Brave Britons 2020 in a virtual ceremony hosted by BBC1 TV Breakfast presenter Rachel Burden.

He was also once on a shortlist in the European Space Agency’s search for an astronaut with a disability to go into space.

Calls have been made for the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust to launch a "rigorous public investigation" into Mr Hopper’s conduct following his guilty plea.

Mr Hopper was employed by the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust (RCHT) from 2013 until he was arrested in March 2023 and has been suspended from the medical register since December 2023.

The trust has worked closely with Devon and Cornwall Police throughout the investigation. A spokesperson said: “The charges do not relate to Mr Hopper’s professional conduct and there has been no evidence to suggest any risk to patients.

“Former patients with any questions or concerns about their treatment can contact the Royal Cornwall Hospitals’ Patient Experience team on 01872 25 2793, or email [email protected].”

However, South West-based medical negligence specialists Enable Law are representing several former patients of Mr Hopper who are worried about the treatment they received from him, in light of his convictions. The law firm is urging the trust to commission an impartial review.

Partner Mike Bird, who is leading the team, said: "The fact Neil Hopper faces very serious criminal charges relating to fraud and GBH has caused shock and grave concern among his former patients. Some have had life-changing surgery and are now worried it was not really needed.

“While we understand that RCHT have said that the charges do not relate to his professional conduct and there is apparently no evidence suggesting any risk to patients, this is such a serious situation that there must be a rigorous public investigation.

"It is no wonder that patients of Mr Hopper want to know whether they received the right treatment from this surgeon in the light of these charges and his suspension. The patients we are advising want answers and above all, want to know that the trust is doing all it can to investigate and support them."