Jailed surgeon who injured own legs with dry ice is struck off after claiming on TV he lost limbs to sepsis
Neil Hopper was exposed when police arrested 'Eunuch Maker' Marius Gustavson, the cannibalistic ringleader of an extreme body modifications group, who had his own penis cut off
A surgeon who injured his own limbs with dry ice so they would require amputation has been struck off.
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Warning: This story containts details some readers may find distressing
Neil Hopper told presenters on ITV's This Morning in 2020 that he had lost his legs to sepsis after a family camping trip.
The consultant vascular surgeon was jailed for 32 months in 2025 for fraud totalling more than £466,000 after causing his injuries himself.
Truro Crown Court heard how Hopper used dry ice to freeze his legs so that they would need amputation. He hoped to make a gain of £235,622 from one insurer and £231,031 from another.
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Read More: Vascular surgeon who froze his legs with dry ice jailed for £466k insurance scam
The decision to strike him off the GMC register was made after a tribunal said it was satisfied the suspended doctor “poses a risk to patient safety”.
Immediate action was needed to “maintain public confidence in the medical profession," it said.
The erasure decision states: “This means that Dr Hopper’s registration will be suspended from today.“
"The substantive direction, as already announced, will take effect 28 days from the date when written notification is deemed to have been served upon him, unless an appeal is made in the interim.“
"If an appeal is made, the immediate order will remain in force until the appeal has concluded”.
From prison, Hopper “made no substantive submissions objecting to the imposition of an immediate order”.
Hopper, who also admitted three charges of possessing extreme pornography, had a sexual interest in amputation, according to The Sun.
The 50-year-old was caught when police arrested Marius Gustavson, known as the 'Eunuch Maker'.
Gustavson was the 'cannibalistic ringleader' of an extreme body modifications group, who had his own penis cut off, the tip of his nipple removed, and his leg frozen so that it had to be amputated. He was jailed for life in May 2024.
He made almost £300,000 through his website 'eunuchmaker.com' where he mutilated and castrated paying customers.
Hopper bought three videos from the website for £10 and £35, respectively, showing men willingly having their genitals removed, Nicholas Lee, prosecuting, said.
The court heard how around 1500 messages were exchanged with Gustavson about his own lower leg amputations.
Mr Lee added: “It is evident from the messages that Mr Hopper wished to become an amputee and it was always something he had dreamt of.“
"Something he has been obsessed with and had a sexual interest in becoming an amputee.”
Defending KC, Andrew Langdon, said Hopper, who had grown up in a rural village in Wales, felt he was “in the wrong body” from a young age.
"He was troubled by his gender; he wanted to be female,” Mr Langdon told the court.
Speaking to This Morning about his injuries, Hopper claimed he and his daughter fell unwell on a camping trip in 2019.
He claimed his daughter recovered, but he was told in hospital that he had sepsis.
Instead of having multiple operations and skin grafts to save his legs, Hopper said: “I opted just to have one to sort it out.”
Hopper, who had worked at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals since 2013, was branded the “Bravest surgeon in Britain”.
He was also shortlisted in the European Space Agency’s search for an astronaut with a disability.
When he was convicted, 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"