A well-known NHS surgeon, Neil Hopper, has been jailed for 2 years and 8 months after shocking details emerged about his private life and criminal activities. Hopper, 49, who worked at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, had become known for returning to work just months after both of his legs were amputated in 2019. At the time, he claimed a sudden illness (sepsis) had forced the amputations.

However, a court has now heard that Hopper actually froze his own legs using ice and dry ice to deliberately cause damage so they would have to be removed. He then lied to insurance companies to claim money, pretending it was due to natural illness. He was also caught with disturbing pornographic videos showing people willingly mutilating their own bodies — content he had bought online from a man later jailed for running an extreme body modification group.

The court was told Hopper had a long-standing obsession with amputation and admitted he felt his feet didn’t belong on his body. While his crimes were personal and didn’t involve any of his NHS patients, the case has still caused fear and confusion. Some of his former patients, including those who had amputations under his care, are now questioning whether their surgeries were really necessary.

The hospital trust has said they reviewed all his surgeries and found no harm or risk to any patients. However, lawyers and former patients are calling for a full public investigation to make sure the trust’s findings are accurate.

Hopper has been suspended from practicing medicine since late 2023. The government plans to recover the insurance money he received through fraud.

This case has shocked many who once saw Hopper as an inspiring figure — a surgeon who lived through the same trauma his patients did. Instead, it has exposed a disturbing double life that has left both the medical community and the public deeply unsettled.