Neil Hopper used almost $590,000 in fraudulent insurance coverage payouts to bankroll luxurious purchases and social media clout after intentionally having each legs amputated in a disturbing scheme that shocked the British medical neighborhood, per sex-fetish-hot-tub-Playstation-watches-car.html” goal=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>The Daily Mail.

The 49-year-old former NHS vascular surgeon claimed he misplaced his limbs as a consequence of sepsis following a household tenting journey. In actuality, he used dry ice to freeze his legs and staged the medical emergency, all whereas harboring a fetish for amputations and consuming graphic content material involving self-mutilation.

Hopper, who continued to gather his $190,000 annual wage whereas receiving $590,000 in compensation, funneled the cash into high-end items and residential upgrades. His most extravagant splurge was a $325,000 renovation of his Truro residence, which he documented on Instagram with captions like “Chateau Hopper v2.0 loading…” and “No turning back now!!! #theresaholeinmyhouse.”

He additionally spent $125,000 on luxurious watches, together with two Rolexes and a uncommon Richard Mille, $28,000 on a high-end tenting trailer, $19,000 on a scorching tub and $7,500 on a designer wood-burning range. “I’m starting to think that I may need an intervention!” he wrote in a single put up, exhibiting off his rising watch assortment. His then-wife Rachel replied, “That had better not be another watch!” earlier than joking about his poor timekeeping.

Rachel Hopper, a senior nurse and mom of their two kids, obtained $66,000 in financial institution transfers from him. There isn’t any indication she was conscious of the fraud, and he or she left him as soon as the reality got here out.

Hopper’s social media persona, “The Bionic Surgeon,” launched inside days of his second six-figure payout in July 2019. His early posts confirmed him studying to stroll on prosthetics, incomes reward from colleagues and strangers alike. But the account shortly shifted to a spotlight reel of his extravagant way of life.

He posted footage of his new kitchen, his son having fun with the transformed house, and his prosthetic limbs saved in customized cabinetry. “New cupboards finished! Anyone else got a leg and foot cupboard??” he joked.

He even flaunted a $75,000 Kia EV6 electrical car, partially funded by the taxpayer-backed Motability scheme, and added a $6,300 customized license plate studying “NII HOP.” In a personal message, he revealed his true intentions: “I’ll get a m### car from Motability for sure.”

Hopper’s scheme wasn’t nearly cash. He craved recognition. In 2020, he was honored with the “Against All Odds” award on the Amplifon Awards for Brave Britons, hosted by BBC’s Rachel Burden. He appeared on nationwide tv, gave interviews, and was even shortlisted by the European Space Agency in its seek for a disabled astronaut.

His followers flooded his posts with reward, with one writing: “#webloodyloveyou xxx.”

But investigators later uncovered messages the place Hopper detailed his plan to “milk” his accidents for all they have been price—each financially and publicly.

The full extent of his deception unraveled in 2022, when authorities traced the fraudulent insurance coverage claims and taxpayer-funded advantages again to his staged accidents.

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