British surgeon Neil Hopper jailed after freezing and amputating his legs for sexual gratification

He also exchanged about 1500 messages with Gustavson regarding his own amputations, including asking how much dry ice he used.

“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,” Lee said.

Gustavson told Hopper he needed to immerse his legs in ice and dry ice for “at least eight hours” and would need prescription painkillers, which he bought from the dark web. The court heard that Hopper’s wife and children were away from their home in St Erme, Cornwall, when he immersed his feet in dry ice on April 15, 2019.

While doing this, he continued to message Gustavson, telling him: “It’s going to be awesome being a double amputee.” He then sent Gustavson a picture of his erect penis.

When paramedics were called to his home, they believed he was suffering from sepsis, and he eventually underwent a double foot amputation. A week later, surgeons carried out a further operation to remove his legs below the knees.

“It is apparent that Neil Hopper didn’t tell the medical professionals [who were] doing all they could to help him the real cause of his injuries,” Lee said.

The court heard how, at one point, Hopper sent a picture of his bandaged feet to Gustavson with the message: “It feels so cool. No feet!”

Hopper was suspended from his job at Royal Cornwall Hospitals in March 2023. A spokesman for the Trust said a comprehensive review of his work had been conducted and found no evidence that he had harmed any patients.

A Trust spokesman said: “Those at our hospitals who knew, worked with and cared for Mr Hopper have been shocked by what has happened. We have been supporting and counselling them since he was first charged, and are continuing to do so.

“While the details of the charges are shocking, it is important to stress that the convictions do not relate to Mr Hopper’s professional conduct. During a thorough and painstaking police investigation, there were no links found to any patients he treated during his work.

“We want to reassure the public that our exhaustive investigations have found no evidence whatsoever to indicate any risk or harm to patients at our hospitals.”

‘Grave concern’ among amputees

Mike Bird, partner at Enable Law, said the case had caused “shock and grave concern” among Hopper’s former patients.

“Some have had life-changing surgery and are now worried it was not really needed,” Bird said.

“While we understand that RCHT have said that the charges do not relate to his professional conduct and there is apparently no evidence suggesting any risk to patients, this is such a serious situation that there must be a rigorous public investigation.

“It is no wonder that patients of Mr Hopper want to know whether they received the right treatment from this surgeon in the light of these charges and his suspension.

“The patients we are advising want answers and, above all, want to know that the Trust is doing all it can to investigate and support them.”

Andrew Langdon KC, mitigating, said his client had grown up in a rural village in Wales and felt he was “in the wrong body” from a young age. “He was troubled by his gender; he wanted to be female,” said Langdon.

Langdon told how Hopper identified with body integrity identity disorder, which is defined as a desire to amputate one or more healthy limbs. Hopper described his thoughts about amputating his feet as “persistent, never-ending”.

Judge James Adkin jailed him for 22 months over the fraudulent insurance claims and a further 10 months for the extreme-images charges.

The Telegraph, London

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