Amputation patients of a surgeon alleged to have carried out the procedures for sexual gratification express concerns about potential unwarranted surgeries
In a shocking turn of events, former patients of consultant vascular surgeon Neil Hopper, who underwent amputations, have reached out to the medical negligence firm Enable Law. The patients express shock and uncertainty about the necessity of their surgeries.
Mike Bird, a partner at Enable Law, has expressed concern among Hopper's former patients. The firm is now advising patients who want answers and assurance about their treatment by Hopper.
Hopper, who was jailed for 32 months for causing injuries to himself, totaling over £466,000 in fraud, worked at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust from 2013 until his suspension in March 2023. During this time, he was branded the "Bravest surgeon in Britain" and was shortlisted in the European Space Agency's search for an astronaut with a disability.
However, it has been revealed that Hopper's ambition to become an amputee and his sexual interest in amputation were evident from his messages with Marius Gustavson, a cannibalistic ringleader who was previously jailed for life. Hopper exchanged around 1,500 messages with Gustavson about his own lower leg amputations.
Gustavson, who had his own penis removed, nipple tip removed, and leg amputated, bought three videos from the EunuchMaker.com website featuring men willingly having their genitals removed. Hopper claimed there was no guarantee the surgeries would work and feared the skin grafts would impact his work, leading him to self-amputate his legs.
The Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust worked alongside police during the investigation and found no evidence of risk or harm to patients from Hopper's professional conduct. Devon and Cornwall Police also found no criminal charges related to Hopper's professional conduct at the hospital.
Hopper claimed he fell ill and was diagnosed with sepsis during a camping trip in 2019, requiring multiple operations and skin grafts to save his legs. However, it was later discovered that he had frozen his own legs with dry ice, leading to their amputation.
Neil Hopper was placed under restrictions by the General Medical Council in April 2023 and suspended from the medical register since December 2023. The trust has assured the public that patient safety remains their top priority and that they are cooperating fully with the ongoing investigations.
