Doc accused of self-amputation, insurance fraud, and fueling underground mutilation ring
Industry Buzz
"[Body Identity Integrity Disorder] is much more common than you’d think (especially among medical professionals). Very stigmatized ... I’ve met patients with this, and they often suffer greatly for a long time in silence. There is a curious link with gender dysphoria as well, maybe similar parts of the brain." — Reddit user @Excellent-Network-56
When Neil Hopper, a respected vascular surgeon from Cornwall, England, lost both of his legs in 2019, the public story was tragic: a severe case of sepsis that required emergency amputation. He continued to inspire patients and colleagues, even returning to work as a double amputee. []
But that narrative unraveled this month when Dr. Hopper was charged with fraud and criminal complicity in a gruesome underground mutilation ring run by Marius Gustavson, known online as the “Eunuch Maker.”
Now, Dr. Hopper stands accused not only of faking the cause of his own amputations to collect nearly half a million British pounds in insurance payouts, but also of purchasing videos of illegal surgical procedures—and encouraging the removal of body parts in others.
Fraud and encouraging grievous bodily harm
According to court documents, Dr. Hopper submitted claims totaling more than £466,000 by falsely reporting that his leg amputations were the result of septic complications, when in fact they were allegedly self-inflicted. This included payments from two UK insurers: roughly £235,000 from Aviva and £231,000 from Legal & General.
"Knowing someone who works at that hospital, allegedly he did not amputate his own legs, they were done in hospital after a spell in ITU with sepsis. The charges seem to imply he caused his own sepsis or did further damage to his legs intentionally, so that the hospital had to amputate them," said Reddit user @BodieJaker, a vascular scientist, under a post about the news in in r/medicine.
The financial misconduct wasn’t the most shocking revelation. Prosecutors also say Dr. Hopper bought videos from Gustavson’s website, which featured extreme body modification procedures, and went as far as to encourage Gustavson to carry out surgeries on others—procedures that included castrations, genital removal, and amputations.
However, other doctors on Reddit speculate Dr. Hopper had Body Identity Integrity Disorder. "It’s much more common than you’d think (especially among medical professionals). Very stigmatized ... I’ve met patients with this, and they often suffer greatly for a long time in silence. There is a curious link with gender dysphoria as well, maybe similar parts of the brain," said a doctor on Reddit (@Excellent-Network-56).
Who was the 'Eunuch Maker'?
The involvement of Gustavson, aka the Eunuch Maker," places this case in even darker territory. A Norwegian national without any medical credentials, Gustavson led a pay-per-view body modification ring that operated between 2017 and 2021.
He gained notoriety online for performing and distributing recordings of illegal, non-consensual surgeries, including genital mutilation and limb amputation, often under unsanitary and makeshift conditions. Despite his claims that participants gave consent, UK courts found his practices criminally exploitative and dangerous. He was sentenced in 2024 to life in prison, with a minimum term of 22 years.
Disturbingly, Gustavson’s operation wasn't just about the procedures—it was a spectacle. Videos were monetized and streamed to paying viewers worldwide. Investigations revealed evidence of severe psychological manipulation, branding of patients with Gustavson’s initials, and even acts of cannibalism involving severed organs. Some victims were as young as 16.
Dr. Hopper, as a licensed and practicing surgeon, is now alleged to have contributed to this operation not only financially, but by actively encouraging its continuation.
A surgeon’s fall from grace
Professionally, Dr. Hopper was regarded as an experienced vascular surgeon at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust. In March 2023, after allegations came to light, the Trust suspended him from duty, and by December 2023 he was removed from the UK medical register. The hospital has since emphasized that there is no indication Dr. Hopper posed a risk to patients or acted inappropriately in clinical care.
Still, the implications of a trusted physician potentially engaging with—and promoting—illegal surgeries are deeply unsettling.
Dr. Hopper is currently being held in custody and is scheduled to appear at Truro Crown Court on August 26, 2025.
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