Former University of Exeter lecturer charged with fraud after cutting off own legs

A former University of Exeter lecturer has been charged with fraud after supposedly cutting off his own legs.

Neil Hopper, who previously worked as a Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Exeter, appeared in court last week after being accused of pretending he lost his legs to sepsis to claim insurance money.

The 49-year-old appeared at Cornwall Magistrates’ Court on 23rd July, facing two charges of fraud by false representation under the Fraud Act 2006.

Prosecutors claim that in 2019, Hopper told insurance companies that his double amputation was a result of sepsis to profit financially.

Investigators also accuse him of buying videos from a website called The EunuchMaker between August 2018 and December 2020. These videos reportedly showed the removal of limbs.

During that time, he is also reported to have encouraged Marius Gustavson to amputate body parts from other people.

In 2018, Hopper spoke to the BBC about his own amputations.

“I do quite a lot of amputations and the one thing that kept going around in my mind was power tools. The thought of power tools being used on me was icky. It was really weird,” he said.

Doctors warned him it could take three months to walk again, but he claimed he was on his feet within just three hours. “I hate to say it but I’m more active since I lost my legs than I was before,”Hopper added.

His recovery story received national attention, and he was even shortlisted in the European Space Agency’s search for the first astronaut with a disability.

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Hopper did not enter any pleas during the 40-minute court hearing. The court refused a bail application, and he remains in custody. He is due to appear before a judge at Truro Crown Court on 26th August.

Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed that the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, where Hopper worked, cooperated fully with the investigation. Hopper worked at the Trust from 2013 until March 2023, when he was suspended following his initial arrest.

A spokesperson for the Trust stated the charges are unrelated to his professional behaviour and that there is no indication that he ever posed a risk to patients.

Former patients with concerns about their treatment can contact the hospital’s Patient Experience Team on 01872 25 2793 or email [email protected].

Featured image via @bionicsurgeon on Instagram