Surgeon who had his legs removed accused of fraud

Neil Hopper was told to appear at Truro Crown Court on 26 August

A vascular surgeon who carried out hundreds of amputation operations before having his own legs removed has appeared in court charged with fraud.

Neil Hopper, 49, of Truro, Cornwall, has also been charged with encouraging someone else to remove the body parts of others.

He appeared before Cornwall Magistrates' Court in Bodmin accused of two counts of fraud by false representation, and a charge of encouraging or assisting in the commission of an indictable-only offence, namely grievous bodily harm.

Magistrates remanded him into custody and ordered him to appear before Truro Crown Court on 26 August.

It is alleged that between 3 and 26 June 2019 Mr Hopper made a false representation to insurers by claiming that injuries to his legs were the result of sepsis and not self-inflicted.

He also faces a charge that between 21 August 2018 and 4 December 2020 he bought videos from a website which has since been closed down called The Eunuch Maker which showed the removal of limbs and he encouraged Marius Gustavson to remove the body parts of third parties.

Mr Hopper, who is originally from Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, had been employed by the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust from 2013 until he was arrested in March 2023, police said.

He has been suspended from the medical register since December 2023.

A spokesperson for the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust 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," they added.

In 2020, Mr Hopper won the Against All Odds category at the Amplifon Awards for Brave Britons.