Latest news with #NeilHopper
India Today
24-07-2025
- India Today
UK surgeon faces fraud and grievous bodily harm charges in Cornwall case
A 49-year-old vascular surgeon from the UK, who performed hundreds of amputations, has been charged with lying about how he lost his legs in order to claim nearly Rs 5.5 crore in insurance. He has also been accused of encouraging another person to remove body parts from others, The Guardian doctor, Neil Hopper, falsely claimed that he lost his legs to sepsis in the hope of getting GBP 235,622 (Rs 2.75 crore) from one insurer and GBP 231,031 (Rs 2.7 crore) from getting arrested for the first time in 2023, the doctor, who worked at the Royal Cornwall Hospital, faces serious legal charges following a two-and-a-half-year probe. The surgeon, who was suspended after his initial arrest, is accused of three offences, including fraud and encouraging grievous bodily harm. Besides fraud, Hopper allegedly encouraged Marius Gustavson to remove body parts of others after showing him limb removal videos from a website called The Eunuch Maker. During a Cornwall Magistrates Court hearing, Hopper appeared from custody but did not enter a plea. A bail application was submitted but Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, where Hopper was employed until his March 2023 suspension, cooperated with the investigation. "The charges do not relate to Mr Hopper's professional conduct and there has been no evidence to suggest any risk to patients," a spokesperson for the trust was quoted by The Guardian as a 2023 BBC interview, Hopper discussed his amputations, stating, "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 claimed rapid recovery, saying, "I did it in three hours," and noted, "I hate to say it but I'm more active since I lost my legs than I was before."- Ends
The Sun
24-07-2025
- The Sun
Sick crimes of Eunuch Maker ‘admired by Brit surgeon' who paid men £25k to slice off genitals and sold body parts online
HE dubbed himself 'The Eunuch Maker' and sold gruesome videos of human butchery to hundreds around the world - with an amputee Brit surgeon now accused of buying them. Marius Gustavson carried out extreme mutilations on troubled men - including to their genitals - with instruments designed for use on farm animals, often in rented hotel rooms and grotty London flats. 15 15 15 15 Until yesterday, it was believed that Neil Hopper, the "bravest surgeon in Britain", had lost both his legs to sepsis and had even been on This Morning to talk about his battle. But Hopper is now accused of causing these injuries himself, possibly inspired by videos he'd bought off cannibalistic Gustavsen - and he'd allegedly also encouraged the "human butcher" to chop up even more people. Hopper - charged with fraud and with encouraging grievous bodily harm - was far from the only person potentially linked with Gustavson. The Norwegian was the ringleader of a website on which 22,000 online subscribers tuned in to watch live-streamed videos of the brutal castrations. He headed a subculture obsessed with severing genitals, trading body parts, and even eating them - and pocketing hundreds of thousands of pounds in the process. Gustavson - who was sent to jail in May 2024 - cut off his own penis, removed his nipple, and had his leg frozen so that it had been amputated. Yet despite his vile crimes, to many, now-jailed Marius Gustavson was a hero - or even a god. 'That website made it feel normal. I still thought I was in control,' said one victim, Michael. 'He then went to his wardrobe and brought out the clamps. 'That was the moment I knew I'd screwed up.' Sickening crimes of the 'Eunuch Maker' who offered desperate men £25k to lop off their genitals with kitchen knives Despite being sentenced to life in prison, Marius is unrepentant for his crimes, as revealed in a documentary investigation by Marcel Theroux earlier this year. Isolated misfit Born in 1977, Marius grew up in a rural village on the outskirts of Drammen, a city near the capital Oslo. News of his gruesome crimes sent shockwaves throughout the small community. Remembering him as a tender-hearted boy who struggled to fit in, nothing had hinted towards who he would turn into. 'He was definitely not one of the cool kids, and probably lacked some social skills,' remembers Camilla, one of his former classmates. Growing up as an only child in this isolated village, Marius would stay closeted until his late teams. 15 By high school he had started to come out of his shell, and afterwards went on to become a leading figure in the Drammen LGBT activist scene. Soon after, however, he would have his first brush with the law - embezzling £5,000 worth of goods via the housing association he was leader of. A couple years later, he did it again - this time embezzling £30,000, for which he served eight months in prison. But despite what friends and family saw, Marius had long been set on the path that was to plunge him into the subculture of mutilation and castration. What got me through the day was the next bit of fun I'd have - BDSM, bondage, sadomasochism Michael In the documentary, Theroux paid him an off-camera visit in Wandsworth Prison shortly after he pleaded guilty. Marius reveals that aged 14 he became fascinated with a picture in a book of an Indian eunuch with their genitalia entirely removed. 'That's who I am,' he told Theroux. Sick website In 2012, Marius left Norway for London after the breakdown of his marriage, immersing himself in a subculture of people obsessed with becoming a 'nullo' - short for genital nullification. Soon he created his website - The Eunuch - an online forum on which users were able to create profiles that detailed what they wanted done to them, share pictures and videos, and buy the amputated organs. Marius himself went by the username of Theo - the Greek word for god. With a growing online reputation, he finally had his own penis removed in 2017. Audio recordings played during his sentencing captured moments castrations had gone wrong, forcing him to call for ambulances while claiming there had been nothing more than an accident. Images of Marius posing with a severed penis and putting it in his mouth were also shown. Other acts of butchery were carried out with kitchen knives, with amputated genitalia kept in the fridge to be sold on. 15 Michael, who has kept his surname anonymous, was introduced to Marius via a friend in the London kink scene in 2018. 'I was in a really bad place - I had a spiralling drug addiction, was depressed and suicidal,' he said. 'What got me through the day was the next bit of fun I'd have - BDSM, bondage, sadomasochism.' Meeting him for the first time, he was shocked to see that Marius had intentionally removed his own leg by submerging it in a bucket of dry ice for eight hours. 'He said he'd thought it would be cool not to have one,' Michael told the documentary. 'I just thought f*** - this guy's actually serious about what he's doing.' Making it clear he didn't want to receive any permanent damage, Michael and Marius enjoyed a night of bondage and torture. Marius then revealed his website to Michael, encouraging him to join. Farmyard clamps Though originally against the idea of castration, his mind was slowly being warped by world Marius had opened the door to. 'That website made it feel normal,' he continued. 'You were told all the benefits, how you could control your hormones, your sex drive. You'd feel empowered, you'll feel better - no one said anything negative about it. 'He sent me a tariff of what videos would earn me in revenue: £5-7,000 for a testicle removal, £15-25,000 for losing your c**k.' Temptation had won out, and Michael removed his limit of no permanent damage. 'I still thought I was in control. I was absolutely convinced. 'Then the next week, he said, 'Hey, we'll castrate you then'. And so we started planning.' Michael went up to London and met Marius in his flat. He got himself strapped down and took some drugs, at which point Marius fetched his instrument of choice - a pair of clamps normally used to castrate farm animals - all while the camera was pointed towards him. 'Never in my darkest dreams had I thought about those,' Michael continued. 'The pain was something else. But instead of calling for a stop to it, I just asked for more drugs. After an hour with the blood supply cut off, both his testicles were dead. Now back home, they had swelled up to the size of a melon. What is gender dysphoria? GENDER dysphoria is a psychological condition characterised by distress or discomfort that arises when there is a difference between a person's gender identity and their sex assigned from birth. This condition can cause severe emotional and psychological distress, impacting an individual's well-being and quality of life. Sometimes, these feelings can cause individuals to feel a sense of shame or self-hatred towards certain parts of their body - often the genitalia, as this is the part of the body most strongly associated with one's sex. Gender dysphoria is also not always as simple as someone feeling as if they ought to have been born the opposite gender. Sometimes it manifests itself as more general feeling of sexual and gender confusion, without any clear "solution." Therapy and other psychological interventions are often used to help individuals for whom their gender dysphoria is impacting their quality of life. Find out more at 'I remember lying in bed, in absolute agony, as the video was posted. Then the messages started coming: 'So cool', 'So hot'. 'A little eunuch badge appeared on my profile because I'd had a verified castration. 'The absolute celebration of it all - it was wonderful. It gave my profile clout. 'It was like fine, I'm committed now, so I agreed to have everything off.' Perverted accomplices Though the mastermind behind the website, Marius didn't always work alone. One, Damien Byrnes, had threatened to go to the police after never receiving money he had been promised for removing his penis - but was blackmailed into backing down with a video that showed him mutilating Marius. Another was a man called David Carruthers. Having worked for the NHS, he convinced Michael that he would be able to safely remove his dead testicles - despite not actually holding any medical qualifications. 15 Michael, Marius and David then rented an AirBnB in which they were to perform the operation. But it was to lead to the Eunuch Maker's downfall. Lying on a bed with forceps hanging off him, Michael finally realised the terrible mistake he had made. 'At that point I'd realised how much damage Gustavson had done to me,' Michael recalled. 'I'd realised he had been talking bulls*** so much up until that point. I started to see that he was just a butcher. 'I remember lying on the bed... thinking I don't care if I live or die, I just want to hurt him. 'Sure enough, he was out of there before I could stand up - all his camera equipment packed up and he had p**sed off.' Despite his ordeal, Michael never received any of the money he had been promised. His counsellor gave him an ultimatum - either Michael had to go to the police, or they would - so eventually he told them everything. The subsequent police raid in 2021 uncovered hours of gruesome footage dating back seven years. No choice But while Marius did put pressure on his victims to undergo castration, many hold zero regrets about what they went through. Unable to go through the NHS, Marius was the only way they could overcome their feelings of self-hatred. One anonymous man who spoke to Theroux told of how for a long time he had struggled with his sexuality, harbouring a deep desire to rid himself of his testicals. After joining the website and having a few meetings with Marius, he agreed to have a testicle removed. 15 15 15 'He never did anything against my will, but he did put pressure on me,' he said. 'I remember him saying, 'If we don't do this, you'll be really disappointed. You were born to do this.'' He later met with Marius and an accomplice called Peter Wates to finish the job. 'I was delighted,' he continued. 'I have an enduring sense of gratitude to Marius for helping me reach a position that medically in the UK isn't possible.' Edward, who was castrated in 2017, had originally been sympathetic towards Marius. But this sympathy evaporated after he attended the sentencing. 'I shall always worry that Marius used a video of my procedure to persuade someone else to do something they didn't really want to do,' he said. Marius himself had earned over £300,000 from his website. He was charged with multiple counts of grievous bodily harm, possession of extreme pornography, and for making an indecent image of a child. The court sentenced him to life in prison, to serve a minimum of 22 years. The botched operations nearly led to the deaths of three men, with the judge describing his actions as little short of human butchery. A further nine accomplices were also charged and sentenced.
NDTV
24-07-2025
- NDTV
UK Surgeon Chopped Off His Legs To Claim Rs 5.4 Crore In Insurance Payout
A UK vascular surgeon was accused in court of amputating both of his legs to claim 500,000 pounds in insurance payouts. Neil Hopper, 49, from Cornwall, claimed that he lost his legs because of sepsis. He expected to make 235,622 pounds from one insurer - Arriva Group and 231,031 pounds from another - Old Mutual, according to court evidence. However, in a dark turn, it is alleged that he bought videos from a website called The Eunuch Maker that showed limb removals and also encouraged Marius Gustavson, the mastermind behind an extreme body modification ring, to remove body parts of third parties. He has also been charged with encouraging or assisting in the commission of grievous bodily harm. The alleged encouragement of these acts took place between August 21, 2018 and December 4, 2020, court was told. Hopper practiced at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust from 2013, but was suspended from duty in March 2023 after his arrest. A spokesperson for the trust clarified in a statement that, "The charges do not relate to Mr Hopper's professional conduct and there has been no evidence to suggest any risk to patients." He has been suspended from from the medical register since December 2023 In an interview with the BBC, Hopper said that he does a lot of amputations and the only thing that kept going on in his mind was power tools, "The thought of power tools being used on me was icky. It was really weird." He also added that he recovered quickly and although he was told he could walk in three months, he "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."
News18
24-07-2025
- News18
Limbs In Limbo: UK Surgeon Amputates His Own Legs To Claim ₹5.4 Crore Insurance
Last Updated: Neil Hopper, a UK vascular surgeon, allegedly amputated his own legs to claim £500,000 in insurance payouts. A prominent UK vascular surgeon allegedly had both of his own legs amputated in a calculated bid to claim nearly £500,000 in insurance payouts. Neil Hopper, 49, who once practiced at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, is accused of falsely claiming that his amputations were the result of sepsis and not self-inflicted in order to secure two large insurance payments. One claim, filed with the Arriva Group, was for £235,622, while another with Old Mutual totalled £231,031, according to evidence presented at the court. Prosecutors said that the alleged false representations occurred between June 3 and June 26, 2019, during which Neil Hopper is said to have misled insurers by hiding the true nature of his injuries. The case took a darker turn with an additional charge as Neil Hopper was accused of encouraging another individual, Marius Gustavson, to remove the body parts of others. Court documents revealed that Neil Hopper purchased videos from a website called Eunuch Maker, which reportedly depict and promote the amputation of limbs. The alleged encouragement of these acts took place between August 21, 2018 and December 4, 2020, court was told. While Neil Hopper has not practiced medicine since March 2023, the General Medical Council placed restrictions on his license soon after and suspended him from the medical register in December 2023. The Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust confirmed his employment from 2013 until his suspension and said it has been cooperating fully with Devon and Cornwall Police. In a prior interview with the BBC, Neil Hopper said, 'Losing my legs made life more interesting. The thought of power tools being used on me was icky. It was really weird." A spokesperson for the hospital trust emphasized that the charges do not relate to Neil Hopper's professional conduct and there is no evidence that any patients were put at risk during his tenure. 'Former patients with any questions or concerns about their treatment can contact the Royal Cornwall Hospitals' patient experience team," the statement added. view comments First Published: July 24, 2025, 16:59 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Yahoo
Surgeon named ‘Bravest in Britain' who told insurers he had his legs amputated due to sepsis charged with fraud
A 'brave' vascular surgeon who told insurers he had his legs amputated due to sepsis has been charged with fraud. Neil Hopper, 49, who carried out hundreds of amputations before having his own legs removed below the knees, is accused of telling insurers that the leg injuries were the 'result of sepsis and were not self-inflicted', intending to make a gain. He has also been charged with encouraging someone else to remove the body parts of others. Mr Hopper, of Truro in Cornwall, appeared before Cornwall Magistrates' Court in Bodmin on Wednesday, charged with two counts of fraud by false representation, and a charge of encouraging or assisting in the commission of grievous bodily harm. It is alleged that between 3 June and 26 June 2019, Mr Hopper dishonestly made a false representation to insurers. It is also alleged that between 21 August 2018 and 4 December 2020, Hopper bought videos from The EunuchMaker website showing the removal of limbs, which 'encouraged [website ringleader] Marius Gustavson to remove body parts of third parties'. He was remanded in custody until his next court appearance at Truro Crown Court on 26 August. In 2020, Hopper was named one of the bravest people in Britain after winning the Against All Odds title at the Amplifon Awards for Brave Britons 2020, in a virtual ceremony hosted by BBC Breakfast. Speaking of his experience of having his legs amputated at the time, he said: 'I do quite a lot of amputations, and the one thing that kept going around in my mind was power tools, because you use power tools. 'The thought of power tools being used on me was icky. It was really weird.' Following his operation, he decided to pursue his childhood dream of becoming an astronaut and made the European Space Agency's shortlist for a para-astronaut, but was later eliminated from the process. Hopper has not worked at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust since March 2023, and the charges are not connected to his work. The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service's interim orders tribunal placed restrictions on his practice the following month while the General Medical Council investigated, and he has been suspended from the medical register since December 2023. A Devon and Cornwall Police spokesperson said: 'The Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, where Mr Hopper has been employed, has worked closely with Devon and Cornwall Police throughout the investigation.' A hospital trust spokesperson added: '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 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.' Solve the daily Crossword
