UK Surgeon Chopped Off His Legs To Claim Rs 5.4 Crore In Insurance Payout

A UK vascular surgeon was accused in court of amputating both of his legs to claim 500,000 pounds in insurance payouts. Neil Hopper, 49, from Cornwall, claimed that he lost his legs because of sepsis.

He expected to make 235,622 pounds from one insurer - Arriva Group and 231,031 pounds from another - Old Mutual, according to court evidence.

However, in a dark turn, it is alleged that he bought videos from a website called The Eunuch Maker that showed limb removals and also encouraged Marius Gustavson, the mastermind behind an extreme body modification ring, to remove body parts of third parties.

He has also been charged with encouraging or assisting in the commission of grievous bodily harm. The alleged encouragement of these acts took place between August 21, 2018 and December 4, 2020, court was told.

Hopper practiced at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust from 2013, but was suspended from duty in March 2023 after his arrest. A spokesperson for the trust clarified in a statement that, "The charges do not relate to Mr Hopper's professional conduct and there has been no evidence to suggest any risk to patients."

He has been suspended from from the medical register since December 2023

In an interview with the BBC, Hopper said that he does a lot of amputations and the only thing that kept going on in his mind was power tools, "The thought of power tools being used on me was icky. It was really weird."

He also added that he recovered quickly and although he was told he could walk in three months, he "did it in three hours". He said, "I hate to say it but I'm more active since I lost my legs than I was before."