Cornwall surgeon accused of fraud over amputation of his own legs
Vascular surgeon Neil Hopper, 49, from Truro, was charged with three offences after a two-and-a-half-year investigation by Devon and Cornwall police.
Hopper formerly worked for the Royal Cornwall hospitals NHS trust and has previously said he lost his legs to sepsis in 2019.
Devon and Cornwall police said he faced two counts of fraud by false representation.
The particulars are that 2019 he 'dishonestly made a false representation to insurers, namely the injuries to his legs were the result of sepsis and were not self-inflicted, intending to make a gain'.
He was also charged with encouraging or assisting in the commission of grievous bodily harm.
It is alleged that between August 2018 and December 2020 he bought videos from a website called The EunuchMaker showing the removal of limbs and 'encouraged Marius Gustavson to remove body parts of third parties'.
Hopper was appearing at Bodmin magistrates court on Wednesday 23 July.
The police said Royal Cornwall hospitals NHS trust, where Hopper has been employed, has worked closely with officers throughout the investigation.
A spokesperson for the trust said: 'The charges do not relate to Mr Hopper's professional conduct and there has been no evidence to suggest any risk to patients. Mr Hopper worked in at the Royal Cornwall hospitals from 2013 until he was suspended from duty in March 2023, following his initial arrest.'
Former patients with any questions or concerns about their treatment can contact the Royal Cornwall hospitals' patient experience team on 01872 25 2793, or email rcht.patientexperience@nhs.net
In a BBC interview in 2023, Hopper spoke of the amputations. He said: '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 he recovered quickly. He was told it would take him about three months to be able to walk. 'I did it in three hours,' he said. 'I hate to say it but I'm more active since I lost my legs than I was before.' He was shortlisted in the European Space Agency's search for an astronaut with a disability.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
10 minutes ago
- The Sun
Chilling moment evil killer wipes bloody nose after stabbing man, 19, to death in street brawl before he fled UK
CHILLING footage shows the moment an evil killer wiped his bloody nose after stabbing a 19-year-old to death in a street brawl. Thomas Dures, 21, will serve a minimum of 23 years in prison after killing Matthew Daulby, following a trial at Preston Crown Court. 4 4 4 4 Daulby was knifed in the chest by Dures after two groups clashed outside Alpine Bar in Ormskirk, Lancashire, on July 29, 2023. The teenager was found with serious injuries by police, who were called to Railway Road shortly after midnight, said cops. Daulby was taken to hospital where he later died and a post-mortem examination found he was killed by a single stab wound to the chest. Dures also stabbed two other men during the altercation, before fleeing the scene after hearing the sirens of an approaching police car, jurors were told. Now, harrowing CCTV footage from the night has emerged showing a bloodied Dures walking down the road in a BOSS t-shirt and blue jacket shortly after murdering Daulby. Dures is seen to wipe blood from his face as he walks down the town centre road. Another camera then captures him quickly walking along a pavement without his blue jacket. After disposing of his jacket, he washed his face in the Railway pub before taking a taxi to home and then travelling to a friend's house at around 3am, the court heard. It was there that he apparently first learned that the brawl had resulted in serious injuries, having told jurors from the witness box: "I didn't believe it. I didn't think anyone was seriously injured, because I clearly seen everyone was able to run away." Dures, of no fixed address but formerly of Whalley Drive, Aughton, sent voice notes to his friends before leaving the area in a taxi. Dures, who eventually handed himself in at a police station in Greece after 18 months on the run, was found guilty of murder, the court heard. Man in his 30s dies after being stabbed outside casino on posh London street Jurors heard that Matthew travelled to the Ormskirk area with friends on the evening of July 29, 2023, after receiving a message in a group chat which stated that one of their friends, who was alone and on crutches, had been punched three times by Dures. This led to a confrontation near Alpine Bar on Railway Road. Prior to the fight, CCTV footage played to the jury during the trial showed Dures and his associate Henry Houghton lurking in an alleyway. Shortly afterwards, Dures is seen striding towards a group, including Daulby, brandishing a knife. Houghton struck Matthew over the head with a makeshift weapon, consisting of a rock stuffed into a sports sock, during the ensuing melee. The 19-year-old suffered damage to his skull and frontal lobe during the incident, although this injury was not fatal. However, Dures then delivered the deadly blow to the chest with a knife he had been carrying all night. Matthew managed to leave the scene of the fight but collapsed on nearby Moorgate, later being pronounced dead at Aintree Hospital in the early hours of July 30. Houghton, of Scarisbrick, was jailed last year for a minimum of 20 years for his role in Mr Daulby's murder. Detective Chief Inspector Andy Fallows said the family had had a "long and arduous wait for justice". "Tomorrow marks two years since Matthew was unlawfully taken from them, and the Daulby family have had to wait patiently for the man responsible for delivering the fatal injury to answer for his crimes. "Thomas Dures came back to the UK with the intent of getting in the dock and telling a catalogue of lies.
BreakingNews.ie
10 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Older brother of Liam and Noel Gallagher charged with rape
The older brother of Liam and Noel Gallagher has been charged with rape. Paul Gallagher, 59, who lives in East Finchley in north London, is also accused of coercive and controlling behaviour, three counts of sexual assault, three counts of intentional strangulation, two counts of making a threat to kill and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Advertisement The alleged offences are claimed to have taken place between 2022 and 2024, the Metropolitan Police said. He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, August 27th. The charges against Gallagher, who is a year older than Noel and seven years older than Liam, were first reported by the Daily Telegraph. Cate Baccas from the Crown Prosecution Service said: 'We can confirm we have authorised the Metropolitan Police Service to charge Paul Gallagher with rape and other offences following a police investigation. Advertisement 'Mr Gallagher, 59, of East Finchley, London has been charged with a range of offences, including rape and sexual assault. He has also been charged with assault, controlling or coercive behaviour, making threats to kill and intentional strangulation. 'He will appear before Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, August 27 2025. 'The Crown Prosecution Service reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against the defendant are now active and that he has a right to a fair trial. 'It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.' Advertisement
Telegraph
10 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Ghislaine Maxwell begs Donald Trump to free her
Ghislaine Maxwell pleaded with President Donald Trump to free her from prison after being questioned by his administration about Jeffrey Epstein. The disgraced British heiress, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for procuring underage girls for the late paedophile, asked the US Supreme Court and the president for leniency. 'We are appealing not only to the Supreme Court but to the president himself to recognise how profoundly unjust it is to scapegoat Ghislaine Maxwell for Epstein's crimes, especially when the government promised she would not be prosecuted,' attorney David Oscar Markus said in a statement. Maxwell's lawyers appeared to be capitalising on the Trump administration's recent interest in their client's case, filing a motion on Monday urging the Supreme Court to move forward with the appeal they filed in April. Maxwell, the financier's ex-girlfriend, has long argued her 2021 sex-trafficking conviction should be overturned because of a 2007 plea deal that promised immunity for Epstein's accomplices. She is the only person who has been convicted in connection with his crimes. Flanked by Sir Keir Starmer at his Turnberry golf course in Scotland on Monday, Mr Trump again refused to rule out pardoning Maxwell. Responding to a question on the prospect of granting clemency to Maxwell, he said: 'Nobody's asked me about it. It's in the news about that, that aspect of it, but right now, it would be inappropriate to talk about it.' When asked the same question last week, Mr Trump refused to rule out the prospect, instead telling reporters he was 'allowed' to pardon her. Todd Blanche, US deputy attorney general, and Mr Trump's former personal lawyer, visited Maxwell last week at her jail in Tallahassee, Florida. Legal experts have speculated that Maxwell is keen to make a deal, and that the president may be dangling a pardon in exchange for testimony that would paint him in a favourable light, or implicate his enemies. Maxwell answered 'every single question' Mr Trump is under mounting pressure over his own links to the late financier and Maxwell. Maxwell answered 'every single question' put to her by Mr Blanche, her lawyer said in a statement. 'She never stopped, she never invoked a privilege, she never declined to answer. She answered all the questions truthfully, honestly and to the best of her ability,' he said. Mr Trump and Maxwell socialised in the same circles in Palm Beach and New York in the 80s and were pictured together on several occasions at parties and fashion shows. Speaking in 2020 when she was being prosecuted for sex trafficking, Mr Trump said of Maxwell: 'I just wish her well, frankly. I haven't really been following it too much. I've met her numerous times over the years, especially since I lived in Palm Beach, and I guess they [Epstein and Maxwell] lived in Palm Beach.' Mr Trump has repeatedly stated that his friendship with Epstein, and his former girlfriend, ended long before the financier was implicated in any criminality.
