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An NHS surgeon who allegedly lied about suffering from a serious illness so he could have his own legs amputated for sexual gratification has been described by the daughter of one of his former patients.
Neil Hopper was once a highly regarded vascular surgeon and became something of a public figure after appearing on This Morning to discuss how he claimed sepsis had resulted in the loss of both his legs.
However, his story later unraveled. Hopper was arrested in March 2023 and subsequently faced two fraud charges and three charges relating to possession of extreme pornography.
The material was linked to Marius Gustavson, dubbed the "Eunuch Maker", who was jailed after carrying out extreme genital amputations on men who he claimed had consented to the procedures for fetish purposes.
Before his arrest, Hopper had operated on 72-year-old Liz Spooner, removing one of her legs at Royal Cornwall Hospital.
Liz's daughter, Faye Harrison, said the operation took considerably longer than the family had anticipated.
When her mother regained consciousness, she was reportedly delirious because of the anesthetic and morphine and refused both food and medication.
A consultant surgeon subsequently spoke to Liz privately, and Faye discovered that the doctor was Hopper.
"He was smiley. He came across as quite charming and caring," Faye told The Guardian.
She then noticed his prosthetic legs.
"I remember looking down – you look down at the floor a lot when you have these kinds of conversations – and I noticed he'd got metal sticks coming out of his trouser legs," she recalled.
"I thought, blimey, he's operated on my mum, but he's also an amputee."
Hopper had become a double amputee in 2019 following what he described at the time as suspected sepsis, undergoing amputations below both knees.
His disability subsequently became a major part of his public persona. He used the social media handle @bionicsurgeon to share his experiences and even applied to the European Space Agency in the hope of becoming its first astronaut with a disability.
For Faye, Hopper's own experience initially made her believe he would have particular empathy for her mother.
She said she viewed his disability as something that gave him "amazing empathy."
Faye even recalled telling her husband about meeting the surgeon.
"It's awful, really, but I remember saying, 'He's got prosthetic legs – and his name's Hopper.' Because, in times like that, you look for anything that's going to make you laugh."
However, the length of her mother's operation left Faye puzzled. She had expected the procedure to take about five or six hours, but it ultimately lasted about 11 hours.
Faye said the family was never told why the surgery took so much longer than expected.
She also claimed her mother was never the same after leaving the operating theatre, experiencing significant confusion and delirium.
Sadly, Liz died several days later after developing pneumonia during her hospital stay.
Three years later, Faye learned of Hopper's arrest and said she was horrified to discover that he had been involved in her mother's treatment.
"Oh my God, I felt sick that he was even near my mom," she added.
Faye also questioned whether Hopper's actions towards patients had been properly scrutinized.
"He hasn't been punished for what he's done to patients," she claimed.
"I just refuse to believe that there weren't ulterior motives behind the operations he carried out."
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A British surgeon who deliberately caused the loss of both his legs as part of a disturbing sexual fantasy has been permanently removed from the medical register after serving a prison sentence for fraud.
Neil Hopper, a former consultant vascular surgeon, was struck off by a medical tribunal after it concluded that his criminal convictions meant he "poses a risk to patient safety" and that immediate action was needed to "maintain public confidence in the medical profession."
The decision was quickly deemed urgent enough that his removal from the medical register took effect immediately.
Hopper's case shocked the UK after it emerged that he had falsely claimed his double leg amputations were caused by sepsis, when in reality he had intentionally injured himself using dry ice.
His secret was uncovered during an investigation into notorious body modification website operator Marius Gustavson, known online as the "Eunuch Maker."
Gustavson, who was previously jailed for life, had mutilated his own body, including having his penis removed, part of a nipple cut off, and freezing his leg to the point it required amputation.
During court proceedings, prosecutor Nicholas Lee said Hopper had purchased videos from Gustavson's EunuchMaker.com website, paying between $18 and $65 for footage showing men voluntarily having their genitals removed.
The court heard Hopper exchanged around 1,500 messages with Gustavson discussing his own amputations and the methods used to carry them out.
Mr Lee told the court: "It is evident from the messages that Mr Hopper wished to become an amputee and it was always something he had dreamt of."
He added that it was "something he has been obsessed with and had a sexual interest in becoming an amputee."
Investigators discovered Hopper had used dry ice to freeze his legs until the tissue became irreparably damaged, ultimately leading to both limbs being amputated.
Prosecutors said he then attempted to profit from the injuries through insurance claims. Hopper intended to receive approximately $441,284 from one insurer and $432,686 from another.
In 2025, the former Royal Cornwall Hospital surgeon was sentenced to 32 months in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of fraud by false representation and three counts of possessing extreme pornographic images.
According to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Hopper "fraudulently claimed over £466,000 (about $630,000) in insurance payouts" after falsely stating that "the injuries to his limbs were the result of sepsis."
Senior Crown Prosecutor Richard Parkhouse said: "Hopper has a sexual fetish linked to amputation, and paid to access these images for his own gratification."
He continued: "In his communications with the owner of the website, the truth about Hopper's own injuries was revealed: that the damage that led to his double leg amputations had been self-inflicted."
"Hopper failed to disclose this fact when making two insurance claims for his injuries, and fraudulently pocketed almost half a million pounds."
Investigators found that Hopper purchased approximately 44 pounds of dry ice pellets through PayPal on April 14, 2019, just days before paramedics were called to his home and found him suffering from severe injuries to his feet and legs.
Following the amputations, Hopper successfully received insurance payouts worth £235,622.14 and £231,031.67 from Aviva and Old Mutual Wealth without revealing that the injuries had been self-inflicted, prosecutors said.
Before the truth emerged, Hopper publicly shared his story in media appearances, including interviews on ITV's This Morning and the BBC's Inside Out West, where he described his recovery after what he claimed were sepsis-related amputations.
A spokesperson for Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust previously stated there was no evidence that Hopper's actions outside of work had affected any patients he treated during his medical career.
A British surgeon has been jailed after deliberately freezing his legs in order to have them amputated as part of a fraudulent insurance scheme, a plan prosecutors said was fueled by both greed and a disturbing sexual obsession with amputation.
Dr. Neil Hopper, 49, a former vascular surgeon with the National Health Service (NHS), admitted two counts of insurance fraud and three counts of possessing extreme pornography at Truro Crown Court in southwest England, according to BBC News.
Legs amputated after self-inflicted injury
The court heard that in 2019 Hopper submerged his legs in a mixture of ice and dry ice for eight hours, causing such severe tissue damage that they required surgical removal.
He later claimed to insurers that he had developed sepsis, enabling him to collect fraudulent payouts worth more than $625,000.
Prosecutor Nicholas Lee told the court that Hopper had performed hundreds of amputations on patients during his career before engineering his own. His motivations, Lee said, were a mix of “a long-standing obsession with removing parts of his own body” and a “sexual interest in amputation.”
“It seems to have been a long-standing ambition of his,” Lee added, noting that Hopper appeared to enjoy the media attention that followed his operations, including multiple television appearances.
Links to extreme pornography
Hopper was arrested in March 2023 after police investigating EunuchMaker (an extreme body modification and mutilation website) discovered that he had purchased videos from the site.
EunuchMaker’s operator, Marius Gustavson, was sentenced to at least 22 years in prison last year for running what judges described as a “sadistic” network of body mutilation, per the New York Post.
The court was told that Hopper’s pornography offenses were limited to material he bought online and did not involve children.
Dishonesty and regret
Defense attorney Andrew Langdon said Hopper had suffered from body dysphoria since childhood, describing his feet as “unwelcome extras” that had caused “persisting never-ending discomfort.”
Hopper admitted that he “bitterly regretted” lying about the cause of his amputations to insurers, friends, and family; but said he did not regret having the surgery itself.
“Following the operation, I was totally overwhelmed by support from friends and family, which made it even more difficult to tell them what had really happened,” Hopper told the court.
Langdon added that the revelations had come as a “shock” to Hopper’s loved ones, describing the case as “very difficult to comprehend.”
Fraudulent spending and sentencing
Prosecutors said Hopper used the fraudulent insurance payouts to buy an RV, a hot tub, and home improvements, as well as to give gifts to his wife. He returned to work less than six months after his amputations, having been fitted with prosthetic legs.
Hopper was struck off the medical register in December 2023. On Thursday, Judge Simon Carr sentenced him to a total of 32 months in prison; 22 months for the two counts of fraud and 10 months for the pornography offenses, to be served consecutively.
A British man has ended up being accidentally circumcised instead of getting a Botox treatment, after doctors mixed up his medical notes with another patient's.
Terry Brazier, a 70-year-old man who hails from Leicester in England, expected to receive a simple filler injection as part of his cystoscopy. A cystoscopy involves injecting botox into the bladder wall to strengthen the bands of muscle in the organ, and thus reducing urinary incontinence.
However, Terry was surprised when doctors at Leicester Royal Infirmary operated on his penis and snipped off his foreskin instead.
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In an interview with British tabloid newspaper, The Daily Star, regarding the case of medical negligence, Brazier stated: "I went in the surgery for some Botox and they ended up circumcising me. They didn’t know what to say when they found out they’d done it."
He added: "They said they can’t send me back to the ward and they needed to talk to me ... The nurse was at the side of me and we were talking so I didn’t know what was going on. It was a real surprise."
Commenting on the unfortunate mix-up, Andrew Furlong, the medical director at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, told The Star: "We remain deeply and genuinely sorry that this mistake occurred, and I would like to take this opportunity to once again apologise to Mr Brazier."
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Furlong added: "We take events like this very seriously and carried out a thorough investigation at the time to ensure that we learnt from this incident and do all we can to avoid it happening again. Whilst money can never undo what happened, we hope this payment provides some compensation."
However, this isn't the first time we've written about a major medical screw-up. Check out this piece we penned about the surgeon who admitted to marking his initials on the internal organs of patients he'd operated on.
A man has admitted that he wants to divorce his wife after she was in a car accident that left her needing her leg amputated - and let's just say the internet isn't letting him get away with it.
Writing to Daily Mail's 'Dear Jane' column, the anonymous user who goes by the alias 'Lusting for Lust' wrote to the best-selling author in the hopes that she would offer him some advice on his situation.
"A few years ago, my wife was in a terrible car accident that left her with horrible injuries – and ultimately led to her leg being amputated," he started.
"In the months and years after the accident, she worked so hard on her recovery. She got a prosthetic leg and did physical therapy... needless to say, it's been a rough few years for all of us, especially for her, but she's been pretty positive about her future and her 'new normal' as she calls it."
He then went on to state that while that was all good and well, his relationship with her had "completely changed."
"I went from concerned husband to full-time carer and now it feels almost like we're just roommates?" he continued in his message. "She is still struggling to sleep so she has her own room downstairs, while I'm still in what was our bedroom upstairs. I work at an office every day and by the time I get home, she's usually so exhausted that she goes to bed an hour or so after I walk in the door."
The man then detailed the decline in their intimacy, revealing that the couple "haven't had sex since the accident happened three years ago."
"I can't even remember the last time we kissed properly," he said. "It feels like any passion in our relationship died out the moment she got into the accident. Saying 'I love you' just feels like part of the routine now rather than being filled with any meaning."
Despite his reservations, he emphasized that he still loves his wife but he'd be happier if he was just allowed to end the marriage and move on.
"Would I be the worst person in the world if I divorced her?" he concluded.
Jane's response offered a wider perspective on the situation and urged the man to be open and honest with his wife rather than doing something drastic and cruel.
"You would only be the worst person in the world if you divorced her and hadn't sat her down, preferably with a therapist or counselor, and had some meaningful conversations about your marriage and what you both want out of your future," she wrote in a response.
Taking some emphasis off of the accident, the column writer also shifted the blame to "how much you are projecting your feelings onto your wife."
"...I imagine most of her energy is going into her healing and dealing with her new life," she wrote back. "That said, I know a couple of women who have lost limbs in accidents, and who have also gone on to have impressive and amazing lives... So again, I wonder how much you might be projecting your own guilt onto the situation, in order to somehow mitigate your reasons for leaving."
She concluded the post with some raw home truths stating: "The grass is not greener on the other side. It's greener where you water it, and watering requires commitment, communication, and time. Committing to figuring out your future, with your wife as an equal partner, seems to be the very least you can do."
The response from readers appeared to be a lot harsher, with many pointing out the "selfish" nature of the man.
"What a selfish swine," one user wrote. "Perhaps your wife is feeling less attractive to you now and you have done nothing to reassure her. My ex treated me appallingly when I broke my ankle a few years ago, that and his other selfish ways made me pack up and leave. Perhaps its your wife who should throw you out."
"Not sure it was the leg that destroyed your sex life, you heartless sod!" another added.
A third also branded the man as "seflish" writing: "Looking for an 'out' before speaking to your wife. She deserves a better life than with a selfish creature like you."
One also commented: "She's lost her leg and all he can think about is himself and his sex life," while someone else added: "Can't help but think his wife would stick by him if the tables were turned. Selfish."
What do you think?
Amy Schumer told fans that she underwent an operation that has harmed her libido.
The actress has never been shy in updating fans with her health journey, having opened up about her weight loss journey and use of Ozempic in the past.
Schumer, 44, has also spoken extensively about her sexual history over the years, which includes steamy scenes with John Cena for 2015 film Trainwreck, or some real-life habits that she has between the sheets.
But it seems like her recent health condition has caused her sex life to take a hit, just months after confirming that she and her husband of seven years, Chris Fischer, were getting a divorce.
Schumer spoke at a recent event, revealing that she had undergone a colonoscopy, but this didn't go to plan, and it has left its mark on her.
When speaking to Amanda Hirsch during an event for Hirsch’s Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast, she admitted: “I feel happier than I’ve ever been before.”
The host then asked if it had anything "to do with being really hot," and while Schumer was appreciative of the comment, she revealed that this was wide of the mark.
She explained: “I actually had kind of a botched colonoscopy, so I’m not feeling very sexual.”
While the mom didn't open up about the procedure any further, she did joke: “See, that’s another thing you’re not going to have to worry about for 15 years.”
Last year, Schumer wrote about a recent 50-pound (22.7kg) weight loss, which occurred as a result of her Cushing Syndrome diagnosis.
This condition can result in a round face, weight gain, high blood pressure, and bone loss.
She explained in an Instagram post: “I didn’t lose 30lbs, I lost 50,
“Not to look hot, which does feel fun and temporary. I did it to survive. I had a disease that makes your face extremely puffy and can kill you but the internet caught it and that disease has cleared.
“Sorry for whatever feeling it’s giving you that I lost that weight,” she added, admitting that she had used weight loss drugs and undergone plastic surgery as well.
Schumer stated: “I’ve had plastic surgery over the years, and I use Mounjaro.
"Sorry to anyone [who] feels let down. I’m pain-free. I can [play] tag with my son.”
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Speaking on the Call Her Daddy podcast last year, Schumer said: "I’ve never said this anywhere, but when I was at sort of, kind of my peak, touring arenas, whatever, and I’ll say it... were they a professional athlete? Sure.
"Did I text them late at night and they came over, went down on me and then I said, ‘I’m so tired, I’m so sorry,’ and they left? Yes.
“And you know who you are."
Schumer has since revealed the athlete was a baseball player, but understandably has not revealed their identity, except that he was 'pretty cool' about the situation she claims 'not [to be] proud of”'
The comedian added: "You wanna be a giving lover, whatever, whatever. But at this moment it was like, you know, some people will blow a guy and that’s the end of the night.
"So I kind of did it my way, to quote Frank Sinatra."
Although Schumer did not let on when the sexual encounter happened, it must have been over ten years ago, as it inspired a well-loved scene in her 2015 movie Trainwreck.
She confessed: “He went down on me and then I yawned and was like [I’m tired], that’s a moment in Trainwreck that’s from real life.
"That's happened probably three times in my life when I was in my heyday, one of them was furious and one of them was totally fine with it.
"And the baseball player was kinda cool about it."
