A consultant vascular surgeon who falsely claimed he lost his legs to sepsis has been sentenced to over two and a half years in prison after it was revealed he deliberately injured himself with dry ice as part of a disturbing s*xual fetish.

Neil Hopper, 49, appeared on national television recounting how his amputations followed a severe bout of sepsis after a family camping trip. He was hailed as “the bravest surgeon in Britain” and even shortlisted by the European Space Agency in their search for an astronaut with a disability.

However, at Truro Crown Court, prosecutors revealed that Hopper intentionally froze his legs with dry ice until they became unsalvageable, necessitating amputation. It was also disclosed that he sought to defraud insurers of more than £466,000, with claims totaling £235,622 and £231,031 from two separate companies. Hopper admitted to fraud and three counts of possessing extreme pornography.

The case came to light during investigations into Marius Gustavson, known as “Eunuch Maker,” a convicted ringleader who promoted extreme body mutilation and is serving a life sentence.

Hopper had purchased videos from Gustavson’s website depicting men undergoing castration and amputation, and exchanged over 1,500 messages with Gustavson discussing his desire to lose his legs.

Prosecutor Nicholas Lee told the court that Hopper harbored a long-standing obsession with becoming an amputee, which was linked to his sexual interests. Defense lawyer Andrew Langdon KC described Hopper as having felt “in the wrong body” from a young age, leading him in 2019 to inflict “irreversible damage” on himself while staying with his in-laws.

The court heard the fallout from Hopper’s actions was devastating: his marriage is ending, he is expected to lose his home, and his medical career is effectively over. He was suspended from the medical register in December 2023 after restrictions were placed on his practice earlier that year.

The Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, where Hopper had worked since 2013, emphasized that the case did not relate to his professional conduct and there was no evidence any patients had been put at risk. A spokesperson confirmed his suspension following his arrest and encouraged any concerned former patients to contact the hospital’s patient experience team.

Hopper was sentenced to 32 months in prison.