A surgeon’s staged sepsis and a six-figure payout

An NHS vascular surgeon who deliberately destroyed his own legs with dry ice and then claimed hundreds of thousands of pounds in insurance has been jailed. Neil Hopper, 49, was sentenced at Truro Crown Court to 32 months: 22 months for fraud and a further 10 months for possessing extreme pornographic images.

The court heard how, in April 2019, Hopper used dry ice to freeze his lower legs. He did this after taking instructions from a man known as Gustavson, who investigators said was linked to an extreme body modification network. Hopper then went to hospital appearing to show signs of sepsis. As a vascular surgeon, he knew what clinicians would be monitoring—circulation, infection markers, skin changes—and he leaned on that knowledge to present a convincing picture.

Doctors fought for six weeks to save his feet. By May 2019, the damage was irreversible and both lower legs were amputated. Afterward, Hopper filed claims with Aviva and Old Mutual Wealth, telling the insurers his injuries were organic and caused by sepsis, not self-inflicted freeze injury. He was paid £466,000.

Judge James Adkin, the honorary recorder of Truro, said Hopper “caused the injury seemingly at least in part for sexual gratification.” That stark assessment underlines how far this case departed from anything resembling misjudgment. It was a plan. And it worked—until investigators picked it apart.

Hopper’s name surfaced as police looked into Gustavson and the alleged body modification ring, which, investigators said, carried out procedures including male castration and penis removal, with some individuals involved as young as 16. Those wider inquiries helped expose how Hopper’s injuries occurred and how the insurance story was built.

On top of the fraud, the court imposed a 10‑month sentence for possessing extreme pornography. In the UK, such material is illegal if it portrays threatening, abusive, or grossly offensive content depicting serious harm. While the images were not linked to his NHS work, they weighed heavily in sentencing.

Hopper had worked at Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust since 2013. He was arrested in March 2023 and has not worked for the trust since. He has been under interim suspension from the medical register since December 2023, meaning he cannot practice as a doctor while regulators assess his fitness to remain in the profession.

For anyone wondering how this could happen, a quick bit of context helps. Dry ice can cause deep cold burns and tissue death at speed. Sepsis, meanwhile, is a fast-moving, life-threatening condition that can destroy limbs. In a busy hospital, symptoms that mimic sepsis can look convincing, especially early on. The court heard Hopper understood those clinical pathways and used that to his advantage.

Once the amputations were done, the next phase was paperwork. Insurance policies pay out on catastrophic injury, but only when the cause meets the terms—disease, accident, or trauma outside the person’s control. In this case, the claims were built on a false premise. The judge said plainly: the harm was self-inflicted, and the story sold to insurers was untrue. That deception is why the case sits squarely in insurance fraud.

What happens to the money now? The court named Aviva and Old Mutual Wealth as the insurers. In cases like this, insurers often pursue civil recovery, and prosecutors can seek confiscation of criminal benefit under proceeds-of-crime rules. The court did not spell out next steps in public, but those are the usual routes when fraud is proven and funds have been paid.

Patients ask hard questions—and calls grow for an independent review

The fallout is now spreading beyond the courtroom. Former patients treated by Hopper have contacted Enable Law, a medical negligence firm, with concerns about surgeries they underwent. Partner Mike Bird said people want to know if their life-changing operations were truly necessary. The trust has said the criminal charges do not relate to Hopper’s professional conduct. Even so, the law firm is calling for an independent public investigation to give patients clear answers.

Why the push for independence? Because public confidence hinges on more than assurances. An external review, if commissioned, would typically involve an audit of case notes by senior clinicians unconnected to the trust, looking at surgical indications, consent, outcomes, and whether treatment decisions matched accepted practice at the time. Any pattern of concern would be flagged for follow-up and, if needed, compensation pathways.

The General Medical Council (GMC) will also weigh in. When a doctor is convicted of serious criminal offences, the GMC usually refers the case to the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service. The tribunal can impose restrictions, suspend, or remove a doctor from the register altogether. Hopper is already under interim suspension; the long-term decision will come after that process runs its course.

Patient safety processes inside hospitals are built around checks. Major surgery requires thorough consent, documentation, multidisciplinary discussion for high-risk cases, and second opinions when there’s doubt. But the trust between patient and clinician remains the engine room of care. That’s why a case like this lands so hard: it raises fears about what else might have been hidden. Clear communication now—about what is known, what is being reviewed, and what patients can do if they’re worried—will matter more than polished statements.

There’s also the question of how a highly trained vascular specialist moved from legitimate practice to deliberate self-harm for gain. Courts rarely get into motive beyond what is sufficient for sentencing. Here, the judge’s line about sexual gratification explains part of it, but not all. What is clear is the planning: the sourcing of dry ice, the knowledge of sepsis pathways, and the calculated timing of claims.

Timeline of key events:

• 2013: Hopper begins work at Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust.
• April 2019: He freezes his lower legs with dry ice and later presents to hospital with sepsis-like symptoms.
• May 2019: After six weeks of treatment, both lower legs are amputated.
• 2019–2020: Insurance claims are submitted to Aviva and Old Mutual Wealth; £466,000 is paid out.
• March 2023: Hopper is arrested; he stops working for the trust.
• December 2023: He is placed under interim suspension from the medical register.
• Sentencing: Truro Crown Court imposes a total of 32 months in prison.

For the Royal Cornwall trust, the immediate task is supporting any patients seeking reassurance. That may include setting up a hotline, offering independent clinical reviews for those who request them, and publishing the scope and findings of any external inquiry. Transparency is the only way to rebuild confidence after a case this unusual and unsettling.

For insurers, the case is a warning about sophisticated deception by policyholders who understand medical systems from the inside. Routine fraud checks—medical record verification, forensic analysis of cause, and investigations triggered by high-value claims—will be under the microscope. And for regulators, it’s a reminder that personal conduct outside the clinic can collide with public trust inside it.

Hopper’s conviction will not be the last word. Patients will seek clarity. Insurers will assess recovery options. Regulators will decide whether he can ever return to practice. The criminal court has delivered its sentence; the wider reckoning—for healthcare, insurance, and public confidence—has only just begun.