Latest news with #amputation
Sky News
2 days ago
- Sky News
Hit-and-run victim who lost leg criticises 'appalling' sentence given to uninsured driver
A man who had his leg amputated after a hit-and-run has criticised the "appalling" sentence given to the motorist - as he backed a campaign to increase the "shoddy" penalties for uninsured drivers. Ieuan Parry also suffered a fractured skull when he was struck by the driver of a white Mitsubishi fleeing police at high speed near Ebbw Vale, South Wales. The uninsured motorist fled the scene and Mr Parry - who had been working on the roadside of a closed lane - was left with devastating injuries and the "agony" of "phantom pain" following his amputation. The driver - who had reached speeds of more than 130mph during the police chase - later tried to blame the incident on his ex-partner by calling 999 and falsely claiming she had stolen his vehicle, according to reports. He was jailed for three years and four months in February 2024 after pleading guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and perverting the course of justice. It is understood he has since been released from prison. Mr Parry - who asked Sky News not to name the motorist - said he felt "extremely frustrated" and "angry" about the driver's actions and believes he should have received a longer prison term. "I think it's appalling to be honest with you," the 27-year-old told Sky News. "(The sentence was) not harsh enough for the seriousness of his crime." The Motor Insurers' Bureau (MIB), which has been supporting Mr Parry, is now calling for fines for uninsured drivers to increase from £300 to £1,200, saying the current penalty "simply isn't enough of a deterrent". Mr Parry was 24 when he was struck by the car while working by the A465 Heads of the Valleys road near Ebbw Vale in November 2021. Describing the incident, he said he was using a leaf blower on the roadside shortly after noon when he heard a "droning noise" and looked up to see the vehicle coming towards him at speed. "Before I had chance to do anything or move, I was struck - hit off my feet," he said. "That's where the nightmare started." 'Excruciating pain' Mr Parry suffered a fractured skull and a badly broken left leg that later had to be amputated below the knee. "(I was in) excruciating pain on the side of the road," he said. "I remember asking: 'Is my leg okay? Will I lose my leg?'" Despite the severity of his injuries, Mr Parry tried to reach for his phone to contact work colleagues while lying in the road. "I was more concerned about how it had happened - because I was in a coned-off lane," he said. "I wondered, 'would there be more cars coming behind this car?'" Describing his feelings towards the driver, Mr Parry said: "Obviously extremely frustrated… angry. "God forbid it never happens, but if I ever found myself in a situation where I'd injured someone, the last thing I'd be doing is thinking about fleeing from the accident." Leg amputated Mr Parry spent 17 days at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff where he underwent surgery on five occasions. Recalling the moment he was told his leg would have to be amputated, he said: "A lot of things went through my mind in terms of work, the relationship with my girlfriend… how everything in my life that I've worked towards thus far was going to be flipped round on its head. "I did find that very difficult to deal with… losing your independence, not being able to go to the toilet on your own, not being able to wash yourself, not being able to do even the simplest of tasks." Since the amputation, Mr Parry said he has dealt with the "weird sensation" of "phantom pain", which he continues to face to this day. "It's basically the nerves that still reside in my amputated leg sending signals to the brain," he said. "It's almost like you feel as if your amputated limb is still there and you can get various sensations, from pins and needles and numbness…. through to quite severe pain. "It almost feels like someone's got a set of pliers on your toe and is squeezing it. "Those sorts of pains, although they are getting better now, are still fairly frequent and they can immobilise you with agony." 'My life is never going to go back to normal' Mr Parry has also faced feelings of anxiety over the "massive change" in his appearance and his inability to do tasks he once found "very straightforward". He said he was "eternally grateful" for the support of his close family - particularly his partner Sophie who he married in June last year. "There's no way on this I'd have been able to cope with it on my own," he added. Since the collision, Mr Parry has started his own fencing and groundwork company but said: "I've come to the realisation that my life is never going to go back to normal as it was before." He added: "I'm always going to have disadvantages and issues with mobility and completing tasks, where I would not even have thought twice about it before." Campaign to increase uninsured driving penalties The MIB is calling on the government to increase the current £300 fine for driving uninsured to £1,200 as part of its new five-year strategy, called Accelerating To Zero, which aims to end uninsured driving for good. What are the penalties for driving without insurance? Police can issue a fixed penalty of £300 and six penalty points to anyone caught driving a vehicle they are not insured to drive. If the case goes to court, the penalties can increase to an unlimited fine and the culprit can be disqualified from driving. Police also have the power to seize and, in some cases, destroy a vehicle that has been driven uninsured. A YouGov poll of more than 2,000 people found 78% did not think a £300 fine was enough of a deterrent and three-quarters supported increasing the fine to £1,200, according to the MIB. The MIB's chief executive Angus Eaton said uninsured drivers "wreck lives", adding: "We believe that the current penalty of £300, which hasn't changed in over 10 years, simply isn't enough of a deterrent. "We're calling for the penalty to be raised so that it is double the average premium, to help eradicate the issue." Mr Parry has backed the campaign, saying a fine for uninsured driving "definitely needs to be a lot more than £300". "For the fine to be less than an average insurance premium for the year, I think it's a bit shoddy," he added. A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "We take uninsured driving very seriously - it is dangerous and unacceptable. "That is why the department is considering policy options on the motoring offences as part of the Road Safety Strategy."
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Telegraph
Amputation surgeon accused of paying Eunuch Maker to cut off others' legs
A vascular surgeon who carried out hundreds of amputation operations before having his own legs removed has been charged with fraud, police said. Neil Hopper, 49, has also been charged with encouraging someone else to remove the body parts of others. Mr Hopper has been accused of buying videos from the Eunuch Maker website showing the removal of limbs, which 'encouraged Marius Gustavson to remove body parts of third parties' between Aug 21 2018 and Dec 4 2020. He has also been accused of dishonestly making false representations to insurers, claiming his leg injuries were the 'result of sepsis and were not self-inflicted' between June 3 and June 26 2019. Mr Hopper, of Truro, Cornwall, is due before Cornwall Magistrates' Court in Bodmin on Wednesday. He has not worked at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust since March 2023. The General Medical Council placed restrictions on his practice the following month, and he was suspended from the medical register in December 2023. A Devon and Cornwall Police spokesman said: 'The Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, where Mr Hopper has been employed, has worked closely with Devon and Cornwall Police throughout the investigation.' Mr Hopper previously told the BBC that losing his legs had made his life 'more interesting'. 'The thought of power tools being used on me was icky. It was really weird,' he added. A hospital trust spokesman 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 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.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Surgeon accused of fraud over his leg amputations
A surgeon has appeared in court charged with offences relating to the amputation of his legs. Neil Hopper, 49, from Truro, has appeared at Bodmin Magistrates' Court charged with two counts of fraud after he allegedly told insurers the injuries to his legs were due to sepsis and were not self-inflicted. Mr Hopper, who is originally from Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, is also charged with encouraging or assisting the commission of grievous bodily harm. Mr Hopper did not enter any pleas to the three charges during the 40-minute hearing. He was remanded in custody to appear at Truro Crown Court on 26 August. More news stories for Cornwall Listen to the latest news for Cornwall Mr Hopper is charged that between 3 and 26 June 2019 he committed fraud by making a false representation to insurers, namely that the injuries to his legs were the result of sepsis and were not self-inflicted. He also faces a charge that between 21 August 2018 and 4 December 2020 he bought videos from a website called The Eunuch Maker which showed the removal of limbs and that he encouraged Marius Gustavson to remove the body parts of third parties. Mr Hopper had been employed by the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust from 2013 until he was arrested in March 2023, police added. A spokesperson for the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS 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. "Former patients with any questions or concerns about their treatment can contact the Royal Cornwall Hospitals' Patient Experience team," they added. Mr Hopper has been suspended from the medical register since December 2023. Follow BBC Cornwall on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@ Related internet links HM Courts and Tribunals Service
The Guardian
2 days ago
- The Guardian
Cornwall surgeon accused of fraud over amputation of his own legs
A surgeon from Cornwall who carried out hundreds of amputations is appearing in court accused of lying over how he lost his own legs and encouraging another man to remove the body parts of others. 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 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.
BBC News
2 days ago
- BBC News
Former Truro surgeon accused of fraud over his leg amputations
A former surgeon is due to appear in court in Bodmin on Wednesday after he was charged with offences relating to the amputation of his and Cornwall Police said Neil Hopper, 49, from Truro, had been charged with two counts of insurance fraud after he allegedly told insurers the injuries to his legs were due to sepsis and were not said Mr Hopper had also been charged with encouraging or assisting the commission of grievous bodily Hopper had been employed by the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust from 2013 until he was arrested in March 2023, police added. Mr Hopper is charged that between 3 and 26 June 2019 he committed fraud by making a false representation to insurers, namely that the injuries to his legs were the result of sepsis and were not also faces a charge that between 21 August 2018 and 4 December 2020 he bought videos from a website called The Eunuch Maker which showed the removal of limbs and that he encouraged Marius Gustavson to remove the body parts of third parties.A spokesperson for the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHT 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."Former patients with any questions or concerns about their treatment can contact the Royal Cornwall Hospitals' Patient Experience team," they added.
