An NHS vascular surgeon, originally from Penrhyn-coch near Aberystwyth, who had his own legs removed, has admitted two counts of insurance fraud and three of possessing extreme pornography.

Neil Hopper, 49, who now lives in Truro, Cornwall, whose legs were amputated below the knee, was accused of telling insurers that his injuries were the “result of sepsis and were not self-inflicted”.

Truro Crown Court heard on Thursday that Neil Hopper was in contact with Norwegian Marius Gustavson - known as The Eunuch Maker - who advised him on how to freeze his legs as he himself had done.

The 49-year-old, who had carried out hundreds of amputation operations, then froze his legs while his wife and children were away and was later found by a family friend, it was said.

FILE PHOTO - Surgeon Neil Hopper at The Royal Cornwall Hospital. A vascular surgeon who carried out hundreds of amputation operations before going on to have both his own legs amputated has been charged with fraud. Neil Hopper, aged 49, from Truro, has also been charged with encouraging someone else to remove the body parts of others. Devon and Cornwall Police issued a statement this morning saying: "Following an investigation by Devon and Cornwall Police which began in February 2023, a vascular surgeon from Cornwall has been charged with three criminal offences.
Neil Hopper who is originally from Penrhyn-coch (Tom Last / SWNS)

Hopper, was rushed to hospital, but told medical staff he had suffered flu-like symptoms.

He had both his feet and later both his legs amputated in hospital in May 2019, then made fraudulent insurance claims to Aviva and Old Mutual, totalling £466,653, the court heard.

He later told the insurers his legs had been removed due to sepsis.

Hopper admitted two charges of fraud by false representation and three counts of possessing extreme pornographic material, relating videos purchased from Gustavson’s website when he appeared on Thursday.

Prosecutor Nicholas Lee told the court Hopper had lied about the injuries that led to both his legs being amputated - not telling them they were "self-inflicted".

On the videos Hopper purchased from Gustavson, Mr Lee said he had "deliberately sought" the videos, which he had a "sexual" interest in.

“It’s clearly a very unusual case,” he said. “He deliberately sought out videos of genital mutilation.

“He told Mr Gustavson he loved these videos and had watched them thousands of times.”

Defending Hopper, Andrew Langdon KC said his client had had a "distaste" from a young age of his feet.

“From a young age, he felt he was in the wrong body,” Mr Langdon said. “He was troubled by his gender. He wanted to be female.

“He suffered body dysphoria and a particular distaste for his feet.

“They never felt part of him; they felt as an unwelcome extra.”

Defending, Andrew Langdon KC, said though Hopper regretted his fraud, he did not regret amputating his legs.

Hopper was previously named one of the bravest people in Britain, receiving the Against All Odds title at the Amplifon Awards for Brave Britons 2020 in a virtual ceremony hosted by BBC1 TV Breakfast presenter Rachel Burden.

He was also once on a shortlist to go into space - as the world's first para-astronaut.

The defendant, who had his limbs removed in 2019, was shortlisted in the European Space Agency’s search for an astronaut with a disability.

Jailing him for 32 months, His Honour Judge James Adkin said: “You made claims to Admiral and Old Mutual Wealth. You represented that the injuries were organic, caused by sepsis, when you in fact inflicted them on your own body - seemingly, at least in part, for your own sexual gratification.”