Limbs in Limbo: UK Doctor Allegedly Removes His Own Legs to Collect ₹5.4 Crore Insurance
Neil Hopper, a vascular surgeon from the UK, reportedly amputated both his legs to claim £500,000 in insurance benefits.
A well-known UK vascular surgeon is alleged to have had both of his legs removed in a planned attempt to obtain close to £500,000 through insurance claims. Neil Hopper, 49, who was previously employed at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, is accused of dishonestly stating that his amputations were caused by sepsis rather than being self-inflicted, in order to receive two major insurance payouts.
One of the claims, submitted to the Arriva Group, amounted to £235,622, while another filed with Old Mutual came to £231,031, according to court records. Prosecutors stated that the suspected false claims were made between June 3 and June 26, 2019, during which time Neil Hopper is believed to have deceived the insurance companies by hiding the real cause of his condition.
The case took a more disturbing twist when an additional charge alleged that Neil Hopper had encouraged another man, Marius Gustavson, to amputate body parts of others. Court papers showed that Hopper had bought videos from a site called Eunuch Maker, which allegedly features and promotes the removal of limbs. The alleged incitement reportedly took place from August 21, 2018 to December 4, 2020, according to the court.
Though Neil Hopper has not worked as a doctor since March 2023, the General Medical Council imposed restrictions on his medical license soon afterward and officially suspended him from the medical register in December 2023. The Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust verified that he had been employed there from 2013 until his suspension and noted that it has been working closely with Devon and Cornwall Police throughout the investigation.
In an earlier conversation with the BBC, Neil Hopper commented, “Losing my legs made life more interesting. The idea of power tools being used on me was gross. It was really strange.”
A hospital trust spokesperson clarified that the charges are unrelated to Neil Hopper’s professional behavior and there is no indication that any of his patients were endangered during his service.
“Former patients with questions or concerns about their care may contact the Royal Cornwall Hospitals’ patient experience team,” the statement said.
