Amputee surgeon struck off for posing extreme risk

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Instagram/Bionicsurgeon Neil Hopper is sitting in a chair wearing blue scrubs and glasses with his prosthetic limbs on show. The prosthetic limbs have a Welsh dragon pattern and are white, red and green. He is smiling at the camera. Instagram/Bionicsurgeon

The medical tribunal panel found Neil Hopper's fitness to practise "is currently impaired by way of his conviction"

A convicted NHS vascular surgeon who froze his own legs so they had to be removed has been struck off the medical register.

On Friday, the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service panel decided Hopper's fitness to practise had been impaired in relation to his convictions and sanctioned him to removal from the medical register.

Tribunal chair Samantha Gray said the panel had determined Hopper posed "an extremely high level of risk to public protection with no demonstrable lack insight or remedial behaviour".

Warning: Contains graphic descriptions

Instagram/Bionicsurgeon Neil Hopper is sitting on the side of a hospital bed wearing a grey T-shirt, black shorts and glasses. He is not wearing prosthetic limbs so his bilateral leg amputations are on show. He is smiling at the camera.


Instagram/Bionicsurgeon

The panel was told Hopper's consumption of extreme pornography and association with the maker of the videos showed he had "a blatant disregard for the wellbeing of the public"

Robert Dudley, representing the General Medical Council, said the extreme pornography body modification videos Hopper had bought and watched "had been conducted to, and had resulted in, serious injury" to members of the public.

He said: "It is apparent to the tribunal Hopper was sexually motivated by the videos and by his own amputation."

The consumption of the videos and his association with their maker showed Hopper to have "a blatant disregard for the wellbeing of the public", he added.

He said Hopper possessed no insight into the sexual motivation which indicated he had limited insight into his own health.

That, combined with the dishonesty evidenced by the fraud convictions, resulted in the GMC viewing Hopper's conduct as "incompatible" with the medical profession, Dudley concluded.

Devon and Cornwall Police A mugshot of Hopper. He has grey hair and blue eyes and is looking steadily at the camera.Devon and Cornwall Police

Hopper told the tribunal panel "at the time I had no understanding of the motivations" for his crimes

Having no representative and speaking by phone from prison, Hopper said: "I attended the tribunal not to change the outcome but to prove I understand the seriousness.

"I felt obliged to face the consequences in person. I do have principles, so I chose to face justice head on."

He said he was disappointed he had not been able to show sufficient remorse or insight to the panel.

"It's taken me years to come to terms with what I've done," he said. "I'm a man of deep reflection and conscience."

Referencing the extreme body modification videos he had bought and watched, he said: "I'm not only ashamed of my actions, I'm appalled I was part of the machinery.

"I cannot convey how sorry I am. It's behaviour I find impossible to understand. I'm so, so sorry.

"I've never tried to excuse my actions, they were inexcusable.

"At the time, I had no understanding of the motivations."

Since then, he said, he had made progress in his work with psychiatrists and psychologists.


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