A SURGEON who claimed on TV he lost his legs to sepsis has pleaded guilty to causing his own injuries.
Neil Hopper opened up about his so-called battle on – saying he developed the illness after a family camping trip.
Neil Hopper claimed he lost his legs to sepsis
He allegedly bought videos from Eunuch Maker Marius Gustavson
The consultant vascular surgeon was charged with fraud totalling more than £466,000 after causing his injuries himself.
He today pleaded guilty to the two counts of fraud at Truro Crown Court.
The two fraud charges state he allegedly made a false representation to insurers – “namely the injuries to his legs were the result of and were not self-inflicted, intending to make a gain”.
He allegedly intended to make a gain of £235,622 from one insurer and £231,031 from another.
Hopper also admitted three charges of possessing extreme pornography.
The 49-year-old’s twisted web of lies was exposed when police arrested “Eunuch Maker” Marius Gustavson.
Cannibalistic ringleader Gustavson, who had his own penis cut off, the tip of his nipple removed and his leg frozen so that it had to be amputated, was previously jailed for life.
Speaking about his injuries previously, Hopper claimed he and his daughter fell unwell on the camping trip in 2019.
He said his daughter recovered but he was taken to hospital where he was told he had sepsis.
Hopper claimed he would have needed multiple operations and skin grafts to save his legs.
He said there was no guarantee the surgeries would work and feared the skin grafts would impact his work.
Hopper said: “I opted not to have hundreds and hundreds of operations but just to have one to sort it out.”
He also told how he kept focusing on the use of power tools during the amputation, which he found “icky”.
The dad, who carried out hundreds of amputation operations on others, was branded the “Bravest surgeon in Britain”.
He was shortlisted in the European Space Agency’s search for an astronaut with a disability and featured in a documentary around his progress towards heading to space.
Hopper worked at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals since March 2023.
He had General Medical Council restrictions in place from April 2023 and has been suspended from the medical register since December 2023.
The Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust has worked alongside police during the investigation.
A spokesperson for the 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.
“Mr Hopper worked in at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals from 2013 until he was suspended from duty in March 2023, following his initial arrest.
“Former patients with any questions or concerns about their treatment can contact the Royal Cornwall Hospitals’ Patient Experience team on 01872 25 2793, or email rcht.patientexperience@nhs.net .”
Hopper claimed he developed sepsis after a camping trip
He opened up about his battle on TV 
