Neil Hopper, a 49-year-old NHS vascular surgeon, has pleaded guilty to fraud after admitting he caused his own leg amputations. This revelation comes after he previously claimed on television that he lost his legs due to sepsis. Hopper appeared at Truro Crown Court today, where he entered guilty pleas to two charges of fraud by false representation and three charges of possessing extreme pornographic images linked to a website known as the Eunuch Maker.

The court heard that between June 3 and July 20, 2019, Hopper falsely represented to insurance companies Aviva and Old Mutual Health that his legs had been amputated due to illness rather than self-inflicted injury. His actions were uncovered during investigations into Marius Gustavson, the operator of the Eunuch Maker website, who was sentenced to life imprisonment last year for running an extreme body modification ring.

Gustavson's activities included performing male castrations and other procedures on individuals as young as 16. He reportedly earned over £300,000 from posting videos of these extreme modifications online. The court was informed that Hopper had not worked at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust since March 2023, following his arrest. The General Medical Council imposed restrictions on his practice, and he has been suspended from the medical register since December 2023.

In a previous interview, Hopper described a camping trip in 2019 where he and his daughter fell ill. While his daughter recovered, he was hospitalised and diagnosed with sepsis. He claimed that he would have required multiple surgeries and skin grafts to save his legs, which he feared would affect his career. He stated, "I opted not to have hundreds and hundreds of operations but just to have one to sort it out."

Hopper, who had performed numerous amputations on others, was once celebrated as the "Bravest Surgeon in Britain" and was shortlisted by the European Space Agency in their search for an astronaut with a disability. He also featured in a documentary about his journey towards space. In a 2023 interview, he claimed to have recovered quickly from his amputations, stating, "I did it in three hours. I'm more active since I lost my legs than before."

The Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust released a statement clarifying that the charges against Hopper do not relate to his professional conduct and that there is no evidence suggesting any risk to patients.