A fetish, frozen legs and a 5 crore scam: how an NHS doctor fooled insurers with self-amputation

The court heard that in April 2019 Hopper used dry ice to freeze his legs, later undergoing amputations below the knee. He falsely claimed to insurers Aviva and Old Mutual Health that the amputations were due to illness and sepsis, leading to payouts totalling £466,653.81. The money was spent on luxuries including a campervan, hot tub, wood burner and building works.

As per a report by AFP, Judge James Adkin, sentencing at Truro crown court, said Hopper had carried out the injuries “at least in part for sexual gratification”. He ordered Hopper to serve 40 per cent of his term before parole eligibility, imposed a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and set a timetable for proceeds of crime proceedings to recover some of the money.

Hopper was identified through investigations into Marius Gustavson, the ringleader of the EunuchMaker site, who was jailed for life last year for running an extreme body modification ring that carried out castrations, amputations and genital removals on men, including victims as young as 16.

The case has sparked fears among Hopper’s former patients, with some now seeking legal advice over whether their treatment was necessary. Hopper had worked at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust from 2013 until his arrest in March 2023. He was suspended from duty that month and from the medical register later in December.

The trust stressed that the charges did not relate to Hopper’s professional conduct. “There has been no evidence to suggest any risk to patients,” a spokesperson said.

However, some of his patients, including amputees, have approached medical negligence specialists Enable Law to review their cases.

Hopper’s personal life has also unravelled since the revelations. The court heard that his wife is seeking a divorce and that he will lose his home as part of the proceeds of crime recovery.

Despite the shocking nature of his crimes, Hopper continued to seek publicity. In 2023, he spoke openly about his amputations in BBC interviews and in a documentary on Welsh broadcaster S4C, with the court hearing he “enjoyed the attention” generated. He was even shortlisted in the European Space Agency’s search for an astronaut with a disability.

The Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust reiterated after his sentencing: “The charges do not relate to Mr Hopper’s professional conduct and there has been no evidence to suggest any risk to patients.”