Neil Hopper, a 50-year-old consultant vascular surgeon, has been struck off the medical register following his 2025 conviction for insurance fraud linked to self-inflicted leg amputations.
Hopper deliberately froze his own legs using dry ice in order to claim more than £466,000 from insurance companies. The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service ruled that he poses a risk to patient safety and ordered his immediate suspension.
Hopper falsely claimed that his leg amputations were caused by sepsis contracted during a family camping trip in 2019. He appeared on ITV’s This Morning, where he described a supposed life-threatening infection and stated that he chose amputation over skin grafts.
At Truro Crown Court, evidence revealed that Hopper intentionally harmed himself to fraudulently claim £235,622 from one insurer and £231,031 from another. Prosecutors exposed his fabricated injury story related to sepsis.
The investigation also uncovered Hopper’s involvement with extreme body modification content, including videos of voluntary genital removal. He exchanged around 1,500 messages expressing a desire to become an amputee, which prosecutors linked to a long-standing sexual fetish.
The tribunal imposed an immediate suspension on Hopper’s medical registration, effective from today, with erasure due in 28 days unless an appeal is lodged. Hopper remains in prison and has not contested the tribunal’s ruling.
Hopper was employed at Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust from 2013 until his suspension in 2023. The trust confirmed that Hopper’s offences were unrelated to his clinical work and assured the public that there are no patient safety concerns.
Patients with questions can contact the Patient Experience team on 01872 25 2793 or via email at [email protected].
Originally published by UKNIP.
