1
00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:11,000
[gulls squawking]
2
00:00:19,760 --> 00:00:22,999
[Chant]
I came to work on a Monday morning
3
00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:27,319
to be told by our service lead
at the time,
4
00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:30,720
who's one of the other consultants,
that Neil was suspended.
5
00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:39,999
It's not an uncommon situation for doctors
to be suspended at any one time,
6
00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:45,040
and we just assumed
it'd all blow over within weeks.
7
00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:53,999
At some point, after a couple of months,
8
00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:59,120
the vascular consultants were asked
to give a statement to the police.
9
00:01:01,320 --> 00:01:05,359
Is there anything about Neil's practise
that I thought was abnormal?
10
00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:06,559
Was there anything he'd done
11
00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:12,000
that was a wrong operation
or an ill-advised operation?
12
00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:18,000
I just didn't think there'd be an issue
that was of any relevance whatsoever.
13
00:01:19,440 --> 00:01:21,840
But as things turned out…
14
00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:25,520
I was wrong to assume that.
15
00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:47,919
[Vergnault]
In 2019, Neil Hopper caught sepsis,
16
00:01:47,920 --> 00:01:51,200
and he became a double-leg amputee.
17
00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:55,559
But after six months, he was back at work,
18
00:01:55,560 --> 00:01:59,080
and he was operating on patients.
19
00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:03,519
He was like a superhero surgeon.
You know, nothing could stop him.
20
00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:08,960
Until one day, in March 2023,
he just didn't come to work again.
21
00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:20,040
This is the Royal Cornwall Hospital
in Truro. It's known as Treliske.
22
00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:23,079
And it's Cornwall's main hospital.
23
00:02:23,080 --> 00:02:27,120
It's where Dr Neil Hopper used to work
as a vascular surgeon.
24
00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:33,160
At first, his colleagues
were told that he had been suspended,
25
00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:37,080
but nobody really knew what was going on.
26
00:02:40,800 --> 00:02:44,400
As a journalist, we do try to keep our
ears to the ground as much as possible.
27
00:02:45,720 --> 00:02:49,479
A lot of people contact us
via social media, Facebook.
28
00:02:49,480 --> 00:02:52,040
Um, they might have ideas,
they might have tip-offs.
29
00:02:55,160 --> 00:02:59,399
And that's when
you start hearing things about him.
30
00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:01,879
People questioning,
colleagues questioning,
31
00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:04,720
"Why is he not here? What's going on?"
32
00:03:05,720 --> 00:03:08,919
There were rumours that he was involved
with the Eunuch Maker website,
33
00:03:08,920 --> 00:03:12,560
and the person behind it,
Marius Gustavson.
34
00:03:13,720 --> 00:03:15,960
There were also rumours
of police involvement.
35
00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:21,720
And I was kind of intrigued.
36
00:03:22,360 --> 00:03:24,040
What did he do?
37
00:03:43,800 --> 00:03:47,199
[Parkhouse] During the investigation
in relation to Marius Gustavson,
38
00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:51,599
who had been running
a website called the Eunuch Maker,
39
00:03:51,600 --> 00:03:55,759
the Met police discovered
thousands of messages
40
00:03:55,760 --> 00:03:59,280
between Neil Hopper and Mr Gustavson.
41
00:04:04,160 --> 00:04:07,599
So it was the Met police
who handed over these messages
42
00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:09,359
to Devon and Cornwall police
to investigate.
43
00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:13,719
CPS were contacted
soon after this for early advice
44
00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:19,039
about the direction of
the investigation looking at Mr Hopper.
45
00:04:19,040 --> 00:04:22,399
During the conversations,
they get pretty graphic--
46
00:04:22,400 --> 00:04:24,279
quite disturbing, some of the chats--
47
00:04:24,280 --> 00:04:27,800
and it's quite often difficult to tell
what's fantasy and what isn't fantasy.
48
00:04:29,160 --> 00:04:31,719
From looking at these conversations,
49
00:04:31,720 --> 00:04:36,439
it appeared Mr Hopper had watched
some of these extreme videos.
50
00:04:36,440 --> 00:04:41,080
So the police were seeking
charges of possessing of extreme images.
51
00:04:42,480 --> 00:04:48,519
Mr Hopper was arrested in March 2023,
and his property was searched.
52
00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:52,919
The police seized a significant number
of items, including computers,
53
00:04:52,920 --> 00:04:57,559
and the police examined his devices,
54
00:04:57,560 --> 00:05:01,239
looking for things like messages
with Mr Gustavson
55
00:05:01,240 --> 00:05:06,400
and of course extreme images
that may or may not be on his computer.
56
00:05:11,040 --> 00:05:13,599
In his police interview,
he would have been asked
57
00:05:13,600 --> 00:05:16,159
about his connections with Mr Gustavson,
58
00:05:16,160 --> 00:05:17,840
whether he had been speaking to him.
59
00:05:18,600 --> 00:05:21,720
And for all these questions,
he made no comment.
60
00:05:24,120 --> 00:05:27,120
And he is then bailed,
pending further enquiries.
61
00:05:32,840 --> 00:05:35,880
When someone makes no comment,
we've got to have a very tight case.
62
00:05:36,600 --> 00:05:40,720
If he puts forward a defence, you can then
build a case to disprove that defence.
63
00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:43,399
But because he made no comment,
64
00:05:43,400 --> 00:05:47,760
we had to prove every single element
before any charges would be authorised.
65
00:05:51,320 --> 00:05:53,159
Normally when you charge extreme images,
66
00:05:53,160 --> 00:05:58,400
they are found in an accessible area
of someone's computer or phone.
67
00:06:00,480 --> 00:06:02,359
This case was unusual
68
00:06:02,360 --> 00:06:06,480
because the police never found
the extreme images on any of his devices.
69
00:06:08,400 --> 00:06:10,959
And because we never recovered the images,
70
00:06:10,960 --> 00:06:15,320
I had concerns about being able
to prove possession of extreme images.
71
00:06:18,280 --> 00:06:20,360
The messages on their own weren't enough.
72
00:06:21,680 --> 00:06:23,919
So we asked the police to do further work
73
00:06:23,920 --> 00:06:26,360
before I felt I was in a position
to charge the case.
74
00:06:29,240 --> 00:06:34,479
[Chant] I think all of us were being fed
snippets of information slowly but surely.
75
00:06:34,480 --> 00:06:37,799
The police had been involved, and
he didn't think there was a problem.
76
00:06:37,800 --> 00:06:40,879
And he told me
about his hard drives in his house,
77
00:06:40,880 --> 00:06:43,119
and he said he'd willingly given them
to the police,
78
00:06:43,120 --> 00:06:45,320
and there was nothing
to see on them anyway.
79
00:06:52,360 --> 00:06:56,559
When I saw Neil the last time,
when I bumped into him in Sainsbury's,
80
00:06:56,560 --> 00:07:03,119
he was very… very downtrodden,
if you like, and depressed and sad.
81
00:07:03,120 --> 00:07:05,599
And I thought,
"That's perfectly normal. That's it.
82
00:07:05,600 --> 00:07:10,279
He's now grieving for his legs."
So it wasn't a shock.
83
00:07:10,280 --> 00:07:11,440
That wasn't a shock.
84
00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:15,999
[Chant] I remember sitting in his garden
85
00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:21,320
and him looking at the house extension
he'd had built and the wheelchair ramp,
86
00:07:22,040 --> 00:07:24,479
and he said, "I could lose all of this."
87
00:07:24,480 --> 00:07:28,599
And he said, "Well, somebody's suggested
88
00:07:28,600 --> 00:07:33,720
that the insurance claim is wrong
89
00:07:34,280 --> 00:07:35,839
and shouldn't have gone through."
90
00:07:35,840 --> 00:07:37,639
I didn't think anything more of it,
91
00:07:37,640 --> 00:07:41,640
because I trusted
Neil's version of events implicitly.
92
00:07:43,680 --> 00:07:45,559
[Spary]
I was following him on social media,
93
00:07:45,560 --> 00:07:48,120
then all of a sudden it just… it dried up.
94
00:07:49,920 --> 00:07:51,719
I didn't think anything of it.
95
00:07:51,720 --> 00:07:53,840
Just people come and go
off of social media.
96
00:08:03,480 --> 00:08:05,480
[gulls squawking]
97
00:08:13,800 --> 00:08:17,039
The police needed to obtain
production orders from the court
98
00:08:17,040 --> 00:08:21,759
for things like his banks
to obtain financial transactions.
99
00:08:21,760 --> 00:08:27,239
And police were able to tell from
looking at these financial transactions
100
00:08:27,240 --> 00:08:31,600
that Mr Hopper had purchased
three of these extreme videos.
101
00:08:32,320 --> 00:08:34,720
He'd purchased one that was £10.
102
00:08:35,960 --> 00:08:39,199
There were two other videos
purchased for £35.
103
00:08:39,200 --> 00:08:43,159
And during the conversations
with Mr Gustavson,
104
00:08:43,160 --> 00:08:47,079
Mr Hopper says that
he's purchased the videos.
105
00:08:47,080 --> 00:08:49,879
He even names them
and names the males involved.
106
00:08:49,880 --> 00:08:54,200
He says he's watched them
thousands of times and how hot they are.
107
00:08:55,520 --> 00:08:58,520
So we know that he purchased
these videos to view them.
108
00:09:06,160 --> 00:09:10,640
November 2023, he's arrested again,
and again he makes no comment.
109
00:09:12,480 --> 00:09:18,640
We were satisfied that the offence of
possessing extreme image could be proven,
110
00:09:19,840 --> 00:09:22,600
but there was other evidence
found for fraud.
111
00:09:24,360 --> 00:09:27,840
The police therefore
carried out a fraud investigation.
112
00:09:29,040 --> 00:09:34,759
What was apparent from
the messages with Mr Gustavson
113
00:09:34,760 --> 00:09:39,800
was that Mr Hopper
had deliberately amputated his own legs.
114
00:09:44,800 --> 00:09:48,159
I authorised the charges
on 25 June, 2025,
115
00:09:48,160 --> 00:09:51,880
and he appeared in
the Crown Court in September.
116
00:09:52,400 --> 00:09:53,600
It got a lot of media attention.
117
00:10:07,280 --> 00:10:14,120
[Vergnault] We got this tip-off saying,
"Oh, watch out for Neil Hopper at court."
118
00:10:17,040 --> 00:10:18,879
And then I looked into it and was like,
119
00:10:18,880 --> 00:10:21,720
"Oh, but it's the hero surgeon
with no legs.
120
00:10:22,640 --> 00:10:24,760
Wow. Why is he in court for?"
121
00:10:30,040 --> 00:10:36,519
So came up to the Crown Court at Truro,
and there was everybody.
122
00:10:36,520 --> 00:10:39,039
This has to be one
of the most extraordinary cases
123
00:10:39,040 --> 00:10:41,199
to ever come before this court.
124
00:10:41,200 --> 00:10:46,920
BBC, ITV, The Sun, The Telegraph,
The Guardian, everyone was there.
125
00:10:52,480 --> 00:10:57,919
Mr Hopper was brought up into the docks
in court and the charges were read to him:
126
00:10:57,920 --> 00:11:02,960
two frauds and three counts
of possessing of extreme images.
127
00:11:04,720 --> 00:11:10,199
You could tell from the way he looked
physically in the dock, he was broken.
128
00:11:10,200 --> 00:11:14,480
You know, head in his hand,
in tears, sobbing.
129
00:11:15,320 --> 00:11:18,800
He was meek. His voice was weak.
130
00:11:19,360 --> 00:11:24,280
And then he listened to
everything that was said about him.
131
00:11:26,080 --> 00:11:28,199
On the weird scale of things,
this was quite high.
132
00:11:28,200 --> 00:11:29,560
This was an 11 out of ten.
133
00:11:41,360 --> 00:11:43,319
[Parkhouse]
There were three counts representing
134
00:11:43,320 --> 00:11:46,279
three individual videos that we know
that he bought.
135
00:11:46,280 --> 00:11:48,919
They were labelled, and the Met police
136
00:11:48,920 --> 00:11:53,120
provided a summary
of what each video showed.
137
00:11:55,640 --> 00:11:57,600
The first one he purchased for £10,
138
00:11:58,680 --> 00:12:00,760
which showed a male having
his testicles clamped.
139
00:12:03,720 --> 00:12:06,639
The second one, purchased for £35,
140
00:12:06,640 --> 00:12:10,320
showed Mr Gustafson tying down a male,
141
00:12:11,200 --> 00:12:15,280
throwing a dice to decide
which body parts to cut off.
142
00:12:16,320 --> 00:12:18,120
He then proceeds to castrate this male.
143
00:12:19,000 --> 00:12:21,879
He then panics because of the amount
of blood coming out of this male
144
00:12:21,880 --> 00:12:25,920
and calls an ambulance, and you can hear
him calling an ambulance in the video.
145
00:12:27,640 --> 00:12:30,639
And the final one,
that he purchased for £35,
146
00:12:30,640 --> 00:12:34,560
was footage of a male castrating himself.
147
00:12:37,040 --> 00:12:42,160
And on one video, a gentleman
was using a scalpel
148
00:12:43,240 --> 00:12:44,999
to cut out his penis
149
00:12:45,000 --> 00:12:47,720
and brandished it to the camera, live.
150
00:12:56,400 --> 00:12:58,920
All of us were stunned by what we heard.
151
00:12:59,480 --> 00:13:05,079
This guy is an esteemed NHS consultant,
152
00:13:05,080 --> 00:13:09,999
who had a sense of care and duty
to his patients and to his colleagues,
153
00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:14,280
and then when you flip that,
you had this darkness.
154
00:13:17,080 --> 00:13:21,600
Paying to watch videos of
people castrating themselves…
155
00:13:23,600 --> 00:13:25,400
Made you feel a bit "ugh".
156
00:13:28,080 --> 00:13:30,919
[Parkhouse] It's shocking,
because these videos that he was watching
157
00:13:30,920 --> 00:13:32,879
were clearly dangerous.
158
00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:35,719
They were being carried out
in dangerous circumstances.
159
00:13:35,720 --> 00:13:37,239
They wouldn't have been sanitary.
160
00:13:37,240 --> 00:13:41,199
People were not medically qualified,
and there's a risk of people bleeding out.
161
00:13:41,200 --> 00:13:46,719
And obviously, these are permanent,
irreversible, lifelong injuries to people,
162
00:13:46,720 --> 00:13:51,719
and he has a duty as a doctor to help
protect people from medical harm.
163
00:13:51,720 --> 00:13:53,160
He takes an oath to protect them.
164
00:13:59,440 --> 00:14:03,959
[Vergnault] So what was said in court
was that when he got in touch
165
00:14:03,960 --> 00:14:06,199
with the Eunuch Maker, Gustavson,
166
00:14:06,200 --> 00:14:09,560
he realised there was a whole world
out there of people like him.
167
00:14:11,080 --> 00:14:12,879
Hopper was not just a paying member.
168
00:14:12,880 --> 00:14:15,879
He was a contributor, active contributor.
169
00:14:15,880 --> 00:14:17,160
[message chimes]
170
00:14:19,120 --> 00:14:21,479
As text messages showed,
171
00:14:21,480 --> 00:14:26,479
Neil Hopper was in direct contact
with Gustavson.
172
00:14:26,480 --> 00:14:30,279
About Eunuch Maker,
about product, about new videos,
173
00:14:30,280 --> 00:14:32,319
even to the point where he would say,
174
00:14:32,320 --> 00:14:35,240
"When you've got new videos out,
I'll buy them from you."
175
00:14:42,960 --> 00:14:45,679
[Parkhouse] And then we presented
the evidence that Mr Hopper
176
00:14:45,680 --> 00:14:47,879
had deliberately frozen his own legs.
177
00:14:47,880 --> 00:14:49,960
And as a result,
he had to have them amputated.
178
00:14:54,440 --> 00:14:59,600
It's like, "Oh, what? What did you mean,
he may have done it himself? How?"
179
00:15:03,800 --> 00:15:06,319
And what was said in court
was that Neil Hopper
180
00:15:06,320 --> 00:15:11,920
decided to have his own legs amputated
for his own personal gratification.
181
00:15:12,680 --> 00:15:17,560
And while Gustavson was more into
people cutting their own genitals off,
182
00:15:19,680 --> 00:15:21,759
Neil Hopper asked Gustavson for advice
183
00:15:21,760 --> 00:15:25,640
on how to go through a procedure
of amputating his own legs.
184
00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:35,960
[Parkhouse] So the messages start with
Mr Gustavson saying, "I'm happy to help."
185
00:15:37,720 --> 00:15:41,160
And the response from Mr Hopper
is excitement. "Oh, wow. Thank you."
186
00:15:46,840 --> 00:15:49,439
Mr Gustavson clearly has done this before,
187
00:15:49,440 --> 00:15:55,480
because he provides Mr Hopper
a how-to guide on how to freeze your legs…
188
00:15:58,000 --> 00:16:00,159
which is very detailed,
surprisingly detailed.
189
00:16:00,160 --> 00:16:02,759
It looks like an instruction manual.
190
00:16:02,760 --> 00:16:05,600
Even with pictures in it on where
to place your legs and how to place them.
191
00:16:09,840 --> 00:16:12,119
Gustavson said,
"Well, this is the process.
192
00:16:12,120 --> 00:16:16,560
You've got to purchase
medical-grade dry ice."
193
00:16:19,560 --> 00:16:21,800
[Parkhouse]
The police obtained financial transactions
194
00:16:22,400 --> 00:16:25,759
that Mr Hopper had made
at the same time on these dates
195
00:16:25,760 --> 00:16:27,840
of him buying 20 kilogrammes of dry ice.
196
00:16:30,560 --> 00:16:34,279
[Vergnault] You've got to get
some crypto money like Bitcoin.
197
00:16:34,280 --> 00:16:38,240
You go on the dark web,
which is known for criminal activity.
198
00:16:38,760 --> 00:16:42,879
Then you purchase high-grade painkillers,
199
00:16:42,880 --> 00:16:47,080
opioids, that you would need
to sustain the level of pain.
200
00:16:47,960 --> 00:16:52,199
Because when you immerse yourself
for eight hours in dry ice,
201
00:16:52,200 --> 00:16:53,879
you will be in agony.
202
00:16:53,880 --> 00:16:57,239
Even dipping your fingers burns. It hurts.
203
00:16:57,240 --> 00:17:01,880
So eight hours for your legs, without
painkillers, he would have died of shock.
204
00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:04,759
[Parkhouse] So he helps him buy the drugs
205
00:17:04,760 --> 00:17:07,560
and he talks him through the whole process
of how to freeze his legs.
206
00:17:11,080 --> 00:17:14,600
And that starts on the evening
of the 15th of April.
207
00:17:15,400 --> 00:17:17,680
He knew that his family
were going to be away then.
208
00:17:26,200 --> 00:17:30,080
He spent eight hours,
eight hours in dry ice,
209
00:17:30,600 --> 00:17:32,519
pumped to the eyeballs
on, like, you know,
210
00:17:32,520 --> 00:17:35,120
morphine, basically,
or strong painkillers.
211
00:17:39,960 --> 00:17:41,640
[Parkhouse]
You can see through the conversation,
212
00:17:42,360 --> 00:17:43,759
Dr Hopper telling him what he's doing.
213
00:17:43,760 --> 00:17:46,840
"I've now submerged my feet.
Checking the temperature.
214
00:17:48,440 --> 00:17:50,320
I can't feel my legs anymore.
This is amazing."
215
00:17:52,440 --> 00:17:54,839
[Vergnault]
He even sent Gustavson some pictures
216
00:17:54,840 --> 00:17:57,439
of him immersed in the dry ice,
217
00:17:57,440 --> 00:18:00,520
going, "Hey, look. Soon, no legs."
218
00:18:02,920 --> 00:18:04,079
[Parkhouse] He's very prepared.
219
00:18:04,080 --> 00:18:06,439
He knows exactly what he's doing
and what steps to follow.
220
00:18:06,440 --> 00:18:09,800
And he's supported
throughout this by Mr Gustavson.
221
00:18:12,480 --> 00:18:14,559
The conversation ends eventually,
222
00:18:14,560 --> 00:18:19,400
and then the following day,
Mr Hopper's wife has concerns about him.
223
00:18:20,640 --> 00:18:22,319
And that's when they found him.
224
00:18:22,320 --> 00:18:24,000
[siren wailing]
225
00:18:25,240 --> 00:18:28,560
- [monitors beeping]
- And his own colleagues here in Truro
226
00:18:29,720 --> 00:18:33,000
worked their hardest to help him,
to save his legs.
227
00:18:36,120 --> 00:18:39,560
They did what they could, and then
they took the decision to amputate him.
228
00:18:40,440 --> 00:18:45,520
And on the back of that, he effectively
achieved what he had hoped to do.
229
00:18:54,440 --> 00:18:56,199
It was clear from the communications
230
00:18:56,200 --> 00:18:59,880
that this was a long-standing fantasy
of Dr Hopper.
231
00:19:02,280 --> 00:19:05,079
So he was in hospital for about six weeks.
232
00:19:05,080 --> 00:19:08,999
Not once did he ever tell
the medical staff or his colleagues
233
00:19:09,000 --> 00:19:11,520
that it was self-inflicted,
so none of them knew.
234
00:19:13,640 --> 00:19:15,880
[Vergnault]
When Hopper had the operation done,
235
00:19:16,840 --> 00:19:18,559
he took pictures of his own stumps
236
00:19:18,560 --> 00:19:23,960
and sent a photo
of his stumps to Gustavson.
237
00:19:33,200 --> 00:19:35,520
[Parkhouse]
He's very happy with the results.
238
00:19:37,040 --> 00:19:41,799
And he told everyone-- friends, family,
members of the public, everyone--
239
00:19:41,800 --> 00:19:43,760
that he had contracted a sickness.
240
00:19:46,280 --> 00:19:48,359
[Skentelbery]
How did you contract the sepsis?
241
00:19:48,360 --> 00:19:50,000
[Hopper]
I think it was food poisoning.
242
00:19:50,640 --> 00:19:53,159
[Skentelbery] Food poisoning? Actually,
you can get sepsis from food poisoning?
243
00:19:53,160 --> 00:19:56,559
[Hopper] Yeah, I think it was, um,
because my daughter had it as well,
244
00:19:56,560 --> 00:20:01,439
um, the same sort of bug, so, um, yeah,
it was probably my bad camping cooking.
245
00:20:01,440 --> 00:20:02,880
[Skentelbery laughing] No!
246
00:20:04,880 --> 00:20:09,199
Everybody trusted him.
He's the expert. He knows what sepsis is.
247
00:20:09,200 --> 00:20:14,920
His job is to deal with sepsis on
a daily basis, so everybody trusted him.
248
00:20:18,160 --> 00:20:22,519
I had the story of,
he felt a little bit off.
249
00:20:22,520 --> 00:20:24,919
He had a glass of whisky,
took a couple of paracetamols.
250
00:20:24,920 --> 00:20:28,239
He went to bed,
and his wife couldn't get hold of him,
251
00:20:28,240 --> 00:20:32,359
so she sent his registrar around,
and they found him in bed.
252
00:20:32,360 --> 00:20:34,720
That's the story he told me.
253
00:20:36,560 --> 00:20:43,199
[Chant] With the benefit of hindsight,
Neil Hopper's feet were black
254
00:20:43,200 --> 00:20:47,639
because they had been exposed
to extreme cold
255
00:20:47,640 --> 00:20:49,320
and not because of sepsis.
256
00:20:54,760 --> 00:20:57,879
To suddenly find that the whole thing
was a real fabrication
257
00:20:57,880 --> 00:21:02,239
was a real, yeah,
quite a surprise, should we say.
258
00:21:02,240 --> 00:21:04,240
Yeah. Staggering, really.
259
00:21:06,160 --> 00:21:08,960
[Spary] When it'd actually come out,
I couldn't believe it.
260
00:21:09,800 --> 00:21:12,879
How can somebody
actually do that to themselves?
261
00:21:12,880 --> 00:21:15,119
It's very hard to think about,
to be quite honest with you,
262
00:21:15,120 --> 00:21:17,080
because what on earth
was his mental state?
263
00:21:19,600 --> 00:21:24,199
To actually put your feet in dry ice,
it must have been so painful.
264
00:21:24,200 --> 00:21:26,120
How can you actually
put yourself through that?
265
00:21:27,360 --> 00:21:30,159
How did he keep that hidden for so long?
266
00:21:30,160 --> 00:21:33,720
From his wife, from his colleagues.
I mean, these are all professional people.
267
00:21:35,320 --> 00:21:38,079
How did they miss it?
How did we all miss it?
268
00:21:38,080 --> 00:21:40,240
I don't know. He just seemed normal.
269
00:21:42,960 --> 00:21:46,959
I find it very troubling
that he has strung along
270
00:21:46,960 --> 00:21:51,599
so many intelligent people
and so many people he loves.
271
00:21:51,600 --> 00:21:55,400
I find it troubling
that I could be quite so well duped.
272
00:22:02,840 --> 00:22:06,039
After he's released from hospital,
on the 4th of June,
273
00:22:06,040 --> 00:22:08,480
he contacts his insurance companies
274
00:22:09,200 --> 00:22:13,239
and explains that he contracted
a mysterious illness,
275
00:22:13,240 --> 00:22:16,480
which developed into sepsis,
and he had to have his legs removed.
276
00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:23,279
The Aviva policy
specifically says any acts of self-harm
277
00:22:23,280 --> 00:22:25,559
would mean that you aren't covered,
for very obvious reasons.
278
00:22:25,560 --> 00:22:27,879
People can't be allowed
to go and cut their body parts off
279
00:22:27,880 --> 00:22:29,960
and then claim
hundreds of thousands of pounds.
280
00:22:31,520 --> 00:22:37,319
As was said in court, he didn't think
it would be hundreds of thousands.
281
00:22:37,320 --> 00:22:40,480
He thought, "Mmm, I'd get ten grand,
five grand, something like that."
282
00:22:45,080 --> 00:22:48,800
When Neil Hopper made the two claims
against insurance policies,
283
00:22:49,880 --> 00:22:51,520
they trusted his expertise.
284
00:22:52,160 --> 00:22:54,879
He knows about sepsis. That's his job.
285
00:22:54,880 --> 00:22:58,480
So they didn't question it,
and it went through.
286
00:23:06,480 --> 00:23:10,679
There was that intention
of "milking it for my amputation."
287
00:23:10,680 --> 00:23:14,920
"How far can I go?
How much can I get for my amputations?"
288
00:23:16,280 --> 00:23:18,279
[Parkhouse]
He was paid the money in June by Aviva.
289
00:23:18,280 --> 00:23:21,759
Old Mutual Wealth paid him in July 2019.
290
00:23:21,760 --> 00:23:25,159
Quite a lot of money. It's £466,000.
291
00:23:25,160 --> 00:23:29,119
And the most…
the biggest purchases, if you like,
292
00:23:29,120 --> 00:23:31,799
were prosthetic legs.
293
00:23:31,800 --> 00:23:33,440
He spent £30,000 on that.
294
00:23:34,080 --> 00:23:37,000
There was a purchase
of a hot tub for about £15,000.
295
00:23:37,760 --> 00:23:43,960
The biggest purchase was £250,000
towards work to his house.
296
00:23:45,320 --> 00:23:48,759
And then a lot of it
was just spent on smaller things.
297
00:23:48,760 --> 00:23:50,880
And by November 2022,
it had all been spent.
298
00:23:52,840 --> 00:23:57,000
For him to have done what he did, freezing
his own legs, in itself is not illegal.
299
00:23:58,160 --> 00:24:00,879
But the act that made that illegal
300
00:24:00,880 --> 00:24:04,800
was then making a false representation
to his insurance company
301
00:24:05,360 --> 00:24:08,839
that he'd contracted sepsis and
hadn't done this deliberately to himself.
302
00:24:08,840 --> 00:24:11,160
That's when he broke the law.
303
00:24:11,960 --> 00:24:17,120
So half a million pounds of greed, effectively.
304
00:24:18,800 --> 00:24:21,160
And that was his downfall.
305
00:24:29,760 --> 00:24:31,839
[Parkhouse]
Because the evidence was overwhelming,
306
00:24:31,840 --> 00:24:34,280
the defence will do what's
called a plea and mitigation.
307
00:24:35,720 --> 00:24:37,319
He was a man of good character.
308
00:24:37,320 --> 00:24:40,359
He was a vascular surgeon,
a 49-year-old married man.
309
00:24:40,360 --> 00:24:44,239
No previous record of offending,
children, family support,
310
00:24:44,240 --> 00:24:46,680
and clearly was struggling
with his mental health.
311
00:24:49,520 --> 00:24:54,399
[Vergnault] In his defence, the barrister
said that Hopper had body issues,
312
00:24:54,400 --> 00:25:00,919
in that he didn't accept his limbs
as fully part of his body,
313
00:25:00,920 --> 00:25:03,040
like they didn't belong to him.
314
00:25:04,720 --> 00:25:07,119
This is a transcript
of what was read out in court.
315
00:25:07,120 --> 00:25:10,879
"And he suffered body dysphoria
316
00:25:10,880 --> 00:25:16,079
and a particular distaste or loathing
for his feet,
317
00:25:16,080 --> 00:25:18,400
and he felt that
they were not part of him."
318
00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:26,279
[First] Body Integrity Dysphoria
319
00:25:26,280 --> 00:25:29,439
is a condition where people
want to have an amputation
320
00:25:29,440 --> 00:25:32,880
because they believe that some part
of their body, when they look at it,
321
00:25:35,080 --> 00:25:36,039
it just feels like it's foreign,
it shouldn't be there.
322
00:25:36,040 --> 00:25:38,679
In this particular case with Mr Hopper,
323
00:25:38,680 --> 00:25:41,960
so much of his presentation is
just classic.
324
00:25:43,920 --> 00:25:46,279
The word "dysphoria"
means it gives you a bad feeling.
325
00:25:46,280 --> 00:25:50,879
It's dysphoria, so gender dysphoria
means your gender makes you feel bad.
326
00:25:50,880 --> 00:25:52,359
So the same thing is here.
327
00:25:52,360 --> 00:25:58,319
The way your body is configured makes
you feel bad, so Body Integrity Dysphoria.
328
00:25:58,320 --> 00:26:01,039
Your having four limbs makes you feel bad.
329
00:26:01,040 --> 00:26:06,440
So the solution for them
is to remove the limb.
330
00:26:07,240 --> 00:26:11,080
The body without the limb is the way
they feel like they should have been born.
331
00:26:12,680 --> 00:26:14,239
So it's really like an obsession.
332
00:26:14,240 --> 00:26:16,239
You're obsessed
with this thing you can't get.
333
00:26:16,240 --> 00:26:21,080
And it's extremely rare, but the patients
who have it suffer tremendously.
334
00:26:26,480 --> 00:26:30,599
So what happens with those people
is the idea is you make the leg unviable,
335
00:26:30,600 --> 00:26:31,919
so when you go to the hospital,
336
00:26:31,920 --> 00:26:35,519
the only treatment that's available for
someone like that is to do the amputation.
337
00:26:35,520 --> 00:26:38,599
So they basically do something
that could force the amputation.
338
00:26:38,600 --> 00:26:42,519
There was a case of a guy
who wanted to lay down on a train track
339
00:26:42,520 --> 00:26:44,599
and wanted the train to run over his leg.
340
00:26:44,600 --> 00:26:46,880
I mean, really serious stuff like that.
341
00:26:52,040 --> 00:26:55,520
In this case, you call up
a dry-ice place, order a ton of it,
342
00:26:56,240 --> 00:26:59,639
you follow whatever you read about
what people do, and you do it yourself,
343
00:26:59,640 --> 00:27:02,999
and at least,
however horrible it is to do that,
344
00:27:03,000 --> 00:27:07,599
it's more likely than not
that you'll come out of it alive.
345
00:27:07,600 --> 00:27:09,319
What's interesting about this condition,
346
00:27:09,320 --> 00:27:11,560
you look at them and you go,
"Looks normal to me."
347
00:27:18,840 --> 00:27:22,439
They can have
this one very totally weird thing
348
00:27:22,440 --> 00:27:25,120
and be totally normal in every other way.
349
00:27:26,920 --> 00:27:28,679
It's like a Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde thing.
350
00:27:28,680 --> 00:27:31,519
They're like a different person
when they're in this mode.
351
00:27:31,520 --> 00:27:35,959
You can see it doesn't bleed over
into the other part of their lives.
352
00:27:35,960 --> 00:27:38,639
In Neil's case, he was able
to successfully keep it
353
00:27:38,640 --> 00:27:41,200
under wraps for years,
which is incredible.
354
00:27:42,720 --> 00:27:47,199
It's not a coincidence
that he chose to be a vascular surgeon,
355
00:27:47,200 --> 00:27:52,639
because vascular surgeons do amputations,
and that was his obsession.
356
00:27:52,640 --> 00:27:57,200
So his obsession turned into
something very positive for him.
357
00:27:58,200 --> 00:28:03,159
He was an excellent, well-respected
vascular surgeon, very, very skilled.
358
00:28:03,160 --> 00:28:07,279
Given my experience of these cases,
to get what he wanted with his legs,
359
00:28:07,280 --> 00:28:09,239
I think it would have cured his BID,
360
00:28:09,240 --> 00:28:12,719
meaning that he would no longer
be thinking and obsessing
361
00:28:12,720 --> 00:28:15,199
about this idea
of wanting to be an amputee.
362
00:28:15,200 --> 00:28:18,480
He would come
to some degree of peace with himself.
363
00:28:21,720 --> 00:28:25,639
His barristers explained to court,
in his defence,
364
00:28:25,640 --> 00:28:31,479
Neil Hopper regretted the hurt
he caused his family, his loved ones,
365
00:28:31,480 --> 00:28:33,879
he regretted the loss of his career,
366
00:28:33,880 --> 00:28:39,799
but he never regretted
the actual loss of his legs,
367
00:28:39,800 --> 00:28:42,079
because that's what he had always wanted.
368
00:28:42,080 --> 00:28:44,119
It's almost like
he had been looking forward
369
00:28:44,120 --> 00:28:47,159
to having no legs for such a long time
370
00:28:47,160 --> 00:28:53,080
that when finally he had no legs,
he was ironically complete.
371
00:28:54,520 --> 00:28:58,279
But that does not explain
the extreme pornographic videos
372
00:28:58,280 --> 00:29:00,159
he downloaded from the Eunuch Maker.
373
00:29:00,160 --> 00:29:03,119
That doesn't explain or excuse
374
00:29:03,120 --> 00:29:06,119
his involvement with the Eunuch Maker
and Gustavson,
375
00:29:06,120 --> 00:29:10,159
considering that people were being hurt.
376
00:29:10,160 --> 00:29:11,360
Absolutely not.
377
00:29:12,400 --> 00:29:18,759
The sexual angle and how extreme it is
is not typical for somebody with BID.
378
00:29:18,760 --> 00:29:24,039
I suspect he had this… the wanting
to be an amputee, going all the way back,
379
00:29:24,040 --> 00:29:28,760
and then somewhere, maybe in adolescence,
he developed this sexual element.
380
00:29:30,440 --> 00:29:34,720
The idea of seeing somebody made
to be a eunuch was his kink.
381
00:29:35,760 --> 00:29:37,839
Now, why these things develop
is another mystery.
382
00:29:37,840 --> 00:29:41,919
We have no idea why it is
that people develop a kink.
383
00:29:41,920 --> 00:29:45,759
I mean, usually there's something
that happens in childhood very early on
384
00:29:45,760 --> 00:29:46,760
that becomes sexualised.
385
00:29:49,240 --> 00:29:53,399
So I'm sure when he heard
about the Eunuch Maker
386
00:29:53,400 --> 00:29:56,079
and then heard that he sold videos,
387
00:29:56,080 --> 00:29:58,840
it was probably irresistible to him
not to order one.
388
00:30:01,360 --> 00:30:06,439
Not only is Gustavson
dealing in castration videos,
389
00:30:06,440 --> 00:30:08,919
but Gustavson has the same interest
390
00:30:08,920 --> 00:30:12,919
in amputation to the degree
that he did it himself.
391
00:30:12,920 --> 00:30:16,680
So I'm sure for Neil
that was like a gold mine…
392
00:30:19,680 --> 00:30:21,799
the ability to be able
to share that secret
393
00:30:21,800 --> 00:30:23,999
with someone who wasn't horrified by it.
394
00:30:24,000 --> 00:30:27,080
I mean, that's gotta be
hugely helpful to him.
395
00:30:28,240 --> 00:30:33,240
I'm sure that was a big facilitating
factor for Neil to go through.
396
00:30:38,800 --> 00:30:43,200
So I think Gustavson is a serious
accomplice in that part of the story.
397
00:30:46,960 --> 00:30:48,839
[Parkhouse] The evidence was overwhelming,
398
00:30:48,840 --> 00:30:52,559
but because he'd made no comment, I had no
idea what he was going to do in this case.
399
00:30:52,560 --> 00:30:53,959
What issues was he going to take?
400
00:30:53,960 --> 00:30:55,959
Were we going to have
legal arguments about the fact
401
00:30:55,960 --> 00:30:59,719
that the images were never
actually recovered from his laptop?
402
00:30:59,720 --> 00:31:00,799
I didn't know.
403
00:31:00,800 --> 00:31:05,200
And I frankly was pleasantly surprised
when he pleaded guilty.
404
00:31:07,120 --> 00:31:09,439
And he was sentenced there and then.
405
00:31:09,440 --> 00:31:12,839
And he was sentenced
to 22 months for the frauds,
406
00:31:12,840 --> 00:31:17,599
and ten months concurrent on
the possession of the extreme images,
407
00:31:17,600 --> 00:31:19,880
and a sexual harm prevention order
was made.
408
00:31:24,040 --> 00:31:27,439
Neil Hopper was today jailed
for more than two and a half years
409
00:31:27,440 --> 00:31:31,160
after admitting he had
a sexual interest in amputation.
410
00:31:34,160 --> 00:31:37,599
[reporter] His downfall from
hero doctor now complete,
411
00:31:37,600 --> 00:31:39,760
he's been jailed for two and a half years.
412
00:31:40,800 --> 00:31:42,800
[birds chirping]
413
00:31:54,120 --> 00:31:58,439
[Vergnault] There is that sense amongst
his colleagues that he betrayed them.
414
00:31:58,440 --> 00:32:02,959
The resources that were used
to try to save his legs
415
00:32:02,960 --> 00:32:08,759
when those resources--
NHS staff, equipment, time--
416
00:32:08,760 --> 00:32:11,919
could have been used to try
and save someone else's legs.
417
00:32:11,920 --> 00:32:13,840
And I think there was that sense of,
418
00:32:15,480 --> 00:32:18,679
"What a waste. That could have
been used to save someone's life.
419
00:32:18,680 --> 00:32:22,400
Instead, we helped you achieve
your weird fantasy."
420
00:32:24,760 --> 00:32:29,439
[Chant] I suppose the thing that worries
me in some respects about the whole affair
421
00:32:29,440 --> 00:32:32,599
is that there are
a lot of patients out there
422
00:32:32,600 --> 00:32:37,239
who are possibly believing that maybe
they were treated by him in good faith
423
00:32:37,240 --> 00:32:39,879
and had the wrong operation
424
00:32:39,880 --> 00:32:43,480
or had the wrong treatment
or the wrong advice.
425
00:32:50,080 --> 00:32:53,759
Some of the patients' concerns
touched on
426
00:32:53,760 --> 00:32:58,279
whether Neil Hopper operated on them
427
00:32:58,280 --> 00:33:01,639
for his own sexual gratification.
428
00:33:01,640 --> 00:33:02,879
That was a concern.
429
00:33:02,880 --> 00:33:04,759
[machines whirring, beeping]
430
00:33:04,760 --> 00:33:08,159
Did he cut my leg off
because it was necessary
431
00:33:08,160 --> 00:33:10,120
or because it was a weird fetish?
432
00:33:12,600 --> 00:33:18,760
Did he amputate my limb because I needed
it to save my life or because he's a perv?
433
00:33:19,440 --> 00:33:23,239
[First] Any patient of his once this
came out would be, I would worry too.
434
00:33:23,240 --> 00:33:27,239
"Is he competent as a doctor? Was
he getting excited by doing the surgery?"
435
00:33:27,240 --> 00:33:28,800
It's an obvious thing to think.
436
00:33:39,800 --> 00:33:43,480
[Bird] I had dialed
into the Crown Court hearing,
437
00:33:44,520 --> 00:33:49,279
and to hear that a respected
consultant vascular surgeon in Cornwall
438
00:33:49,280 --> 00:33:53,960
was somehow connected with that kind
of world was a bizarre thing to hear.
439
00:33:58,040 --> 00:34:03,440
I'm a solicitor. We specialise
in clinical and medical claims.
440
00:34:06,680 --> 00:34:12,079
Because obviously Mr Hopper was a vascular
surgeon whose job is to amputate legs,
441
00:34:12,080 --> 00:34:14,759
the question was,
well, what has he been doing?
442
00:34:14,760 --> 00:34:16,759
How might had it impacted his patients?
443
00:34:16,760 --> 00:34:21,079
Are there going to be patients
who are going to be looking for answers
444
00:34:21,080 --> 00:34:24,200
or asking questions
about their own treatment?
445
00:34:25,720 --> 00:34:30,560
And there was quite a flurry of patients
who've contacted us,
446
00:34:31,400 --> 00:34:34,799
and they have almost all said,
447
00:34:34,800 --> 00:34:36,679
"We feel very uncomfortable
448
00:34:36,680 --> 00:34:42,239
that the treatment that we received may
not have been motivated by clinical need.
449
00:34:42,240 --> 00:34:45,440
It may have been motivated
by sexual gratification.
450
00:34:47,520 --> 00:34:51,479
What was going on in his head
when he had me on the operating table
451
00:34:51,480 --> 00:34:53,560
if he was going to be amputating my leg?"
452
00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:05,759
Like anybody else, I was pretty surprised
453
00:35:05,760 --> 00:35:09,760
to see the nature of the charges
that were being brought against him,
454
00:35:10,480 --> 00:35:14,119
because Mr Hopper
was quite a sort of local celebrity.
455
00:35:14,120 --> 00:35:15,959
He'd done quite a lot of local news.
456
00:35:15,960 --> 00:35:18,079
I'm a nightmare patient, really.
457
00:35:18,080 --> 00:35:20,879
- Because I know I'm the mystery shopper.
- [interviewer] Yeah, exactly.
458
00:35:20,880 --> 00:35:24,759
[Bird] He was an inspirational character
to many people,
459
00:35:24,760 --> 00:35:28,959
but he deceived his family, his friends,
460
00:35:28,960 --> 00:35:31,679
his medical colleagues
at the Royal Cornwall Hospital.
461
00:35:31,680 --> 00:35:33,960
When he was first admitted there,
he didn't tell them what he'd done.
462
00:35:35,960 --> 00:35:40,400
And so what else
might he have deceived people about?
463
00:35:43,360 --> 00:35:45,919
It is my job to ask questions,
464
00:35:45,920 --> 00:35:48,960
but we may never get
those questions answered.
465
00:35:53,840 --> 00:35:56,479
[Vergnault] Neil Hopper may still be
an active surgeon at Treliske
466
00:35:56,480 --> 00:35:58,200
if it hadn't been for Michael…
467
00:35:59,840 --> 00:36:02,960
who was castrated by the Eunuch Maker.
468
00:36:04,560 --> 00:36:07,640
But there's still another twist
in Michael's story.
469
00:36:09,960 --> 00:36:16,240
So Michael told me, after
he was castrated, he went to Treliske…
470
00:36:18,760 --> 00:36:21,360
which is obviously
where Neil Hopper worked.
471
00:36:22,880 --> 00:36:24,080
He's going to hospital
472
00:36:24,800 --> 00:36:28,999
because obviously, he's had cattle clamps
put to his testicles,
473
00:36:29,000 --> 00:36:31,640
and he's in pain and he needs treatment,
needs help.
474
00:36:33,600 --> 00:36:35,719
So you've got
the two Eunuch Maker worlds,
475
00:36:35,720 --> 00:36:39,799
one a victim, one a participant,
colliding,
476
00:36:39,800 --> 00:36:42,760
coming together
at the same hospital in Cornwall.
477
00:36:46,520 --> 00:36:49,679
[Michael]
I believe Gustavson's modus operandi
478
00:36:49,680 --> 00:36:55,839
was always to cause the injury
to such a degree
479
00:36:55,840 --> 00:36:59,599
and then send the person to the NHS
480
00:36:59,600 --> 00:37:02,000
and have them deal with the damage.
481
00:37:04,520 --> 00:37:09,799
Treliske Hospital is the nearest,
biggest hospital to me
482
00:37:09,800 --> 00:37:12,400
that has a urology department.
483
00:37:15,080 --> 00:37:20,279
At the time, I didn't know Mr Hopper
was a consultant surgeon
484
00:37:20,280 --> 00:37:22,480
at the same hospital I went to.
485
00:37:27,320 --> 00:37:28,999
When I was sent up to Treliske,
486
00:37:29,000 --> 00:37:32,839
I said to the urologist,
"I had a one-night stand with a sadist."
487
00:37:32,840 --> 00:37:33,919
And he said,
488
00:37:33,920 --> 00:37:36,159
"I'll go and have a look
at the report, go back
489
00:37:36,160 --> 00:37:39,720
and go and have a consult with
some colleagues, and I'll be back."
490
00:37:42,560 --> 00:37:47,439
For all I know, he could have gone
and had coffee with Neil Hopper.
491
00:37:47,440 --> 00:37:51,000
Because Neil Hopper was a vascular
surgeon. This involves blood flow.
492
00:37:52,280 --> 00:37:56,039
So, in my head, there's always
going to be the question of:
493
00:37:56,040 --> 00:38:01,519
Did the vascular team
get consulted on this?
494
00:38:01,520 --> 00:38:04,399
It's certainly suspicious to me
495
00:38:04,400 --> 00:38:11,199
that one of the users of that website
and friend of Gustavson
496
00:38:11,200 --> 00:38:15,520
was also a consultant surgeon
at the same hospital I went to.
497
00:38:17,680 --> 00:38:21,479
[Vergnault] For Michael, I think that's
the mental Rubik's Cube, you know,
498
00:38:21,480 --> 00:38:25,199
of, he went to hospital
for something horrific
499
00:38:25,200 --> 00:38:28,039
that happened to him
at the hand of the Eunuch Maker,
500
00:38:28,040 --> 00:38:31,959
and he found out that
one of the Eunuch Maker enthusiasts
501
00:38:31,960 --> 00:38:34,999
was a consultant at
the same hospital here in Cornwall,
502
00:38:35,000 --> 00:38:36,559
which is quite a small world,
503
00:38:36,560 --> 00:38:41,840
and I think he had troubles
reconciling the two.
504
00:38:42,680 --> 00:38:44,959
[Chant] We do work closely together,
505
00:38:44,960 --> 00:38:50,039
and, you know, urologists and vascular
surgeons will do operations together,
506
00:38:50,040 --> 00:38:53,319
so I guess if there was
a blood vessel problem,
507
00:38:53,320 --> 00:38:55,119
then, yeah, Neil may well have been asked.
508
00:38:55,120 --> 00:38:58,840
But I think it's exceedingly unlikely.
509
00:39:02,080 --> 00:39:06,440
But as things turned out,
unlikely things happen.
510
00:39:07,400 --> 00:39:08,400
Yeah.
511
00:39:19,880 --> 00:39:21,959
[Bird] The Royal Cornwall Hospital's trust
512
00:39:21,960 --> 00:39:25,599
said there's been
an internal investigation done.
513
00:39:25,600 --> 00:39:29,359
They indicated that
as part of that internal review,
514
00:39:29,360 --> 00:39:31,079
one of their own consultants
515
00:39:31,080 --> 00:39:33,679
who had had experience of working
516
00:39:33,680 --> 00:39:36,000
for the police in another matter
had been involved.
517
00:39:36,680 --> 00:39:39,559
But my understanding is that the analysis
518
00:39:39,560 --> 00:39:43,199
was done by the trust's own employees,
519
00:39:43,200 --> 00:39:46,120
their own clinicians, not external.
520
00:39:47,280 --> 00:39:49,639
It doesn't reassure a concerned patient
521
00:39:49,640 --> 00:39:52,519
who's just heard that the person
who amputated their leg
522
00:39:52,520 --> 00:39:55,960
has admitted charges
of extreme pornography and fraud.
523
00:39:57,080 --> 00:40:00,600
That's a huge, huge issue,
524
00:40:01,440 --> 00:40:05,679
because he's lied, and because
it strikes at that relationship,
525
00:40:05,680 --> 00:40:08,279
that confidence
that one places in a doctor
526
00:40:08,280 --> 00:40:10,599
to be doing the right thing
for the right reasons.
527
00:40:10,600 --> 00:40:12,600
[gulls squawking]
528
00:40:17,760 --> 00:40:20,080
Had he not committed the fraud,
529
00:40:21,880 --> 00:40:23,320
he might have got away with it.
530
00:40:24,040 --> 00:40:27,680
He might still be doing interviews
and being a TV consultant as well.
531
00:40:28,720 --> 00:40:32,039
Radio, TV, Internet, podcast, everything.
532
00:40:32,040 --> 00:40:34,079
He might have got his own book.
533
00:40:34,080 --> 00:40:36,759
But he got done
534
00:40:36,760 --> 00:40:40,440
because something else bigger
than him came apart.
535
00:40:45,360 --> 00:40:48,999
And it's almost like two separate people,
almost, two separate minds.
536
00:40:49,000 --> 00:40:51,040
Himself the professional…
537
00:40:51,840 --> 00:40:55,279
Well, there's no surgery to be done.
There's no bypass.
538
00:40:55,280 --> 00:40:56,600
…leading his normal life,
539
00:40:58,000 --> 00:41:01,160
and himself, the fetishist…
540
00:41:03,640 --> 00:41:05,720
on the dark side of humanity.
541
00:41:07,520 --> 00:41:10,519
[Chant] In my more generous moments,
542
00:41:10,520 --> 00:41:15,439
I just feel very sorry for him
being dragged along by it.
543
00:41:15,440 --> 00:41:20,280
You know, you could forgive him
for injuring himself.
544
00:41:21,880 --> 00:41:24,559
But I think the Eunuch Maker website…
545
00:41:24,560 --> 00:41:28,519
I'm amazed Neil didn't have
the common sense to stop
546
00:41:28,520 --> 00:41:30,400
before he went across that line.
547
00:41:34,160 --> 00:41:36,679
[Parkhouse] The biggest impact
for Mr Hopper in this case
548
00:41:36,680 --> 00:41:40,640
is clearly going to be the fact
that he's completely lost his reputation.
549
00:41:42,000 --> 00:41:44,759
Losing your reputation in criminal cases
550
00:41:44,760 --> 00:41:48,680
can quite often be worse
than the punishment you receive.
551
00:41:49,520 --> 00:41:53,160
[Spary] A lot of people are shocked.
A lot of people are disgusted.
552
00:41:55,240 --> 00:41:59,839
Was he helping people because he knew
he was doing something fraudulently?
553
00:41:59,840 --> 00:42:03,679
Was that his way of trying
to right a wrong that he'd done?
554
00:42:03,680 --> 00:42:08,600
That has to be why he recovered so fast:
because he got what he wanted.
555
00:42:12,000 --> 00:42:14,400
He got what he thought he wanted.
556
00:42:15,160 --> 00:42:19,560
I don't know.
It's a strange sort of story, really.
557
00:42:24,160 --> 00:42:27,919
[gulls squawking]
558
00:42:27,920 --> 00:42:29,560
All right. Come on.
559
00:42:31,760 --> 00:42:34,520
Come here. Come, come, come. Come on.
560
00:42:35,160 --> 00:42:39,440
Up. All right, sit. No, sit.
Come on. Sit! There we go.
561
00:42:44,160 --> 00:42:46,600
I don't really know how I feel
about Neil Hopper.
562
00:42:47,640 --> 00:42:49,439
He betrayed everybody.
563
00:42:49,440 --> 00:42:51,879
His family, his friends,
564
00:42:51,880 --> 00:42:54,479
his colleagues, his own patients,
565
00:42:54,480 --> 00:42:56,080
but he also betrayed himself.
566
00:42:58,560 --> 00:43:00,759
But had he been more open,
567
00:43:00,760 --> 00:43:04,320
had he talked to somebody
about his mental health issues,
568
00:43:05,480 --> 00:43:07,680
maybe none of this would have happened.
569
00:43:09,560 --> 00:43:11,879
In Truro, which is a small city,
570
00:43:11,880 --> 00:43:14,920
the ripple effects of the Neil Hopper saga
are still being felt.
571
00:43:16,240 --> 00:43:20,760
There are people who still have questions
to which they may never get an answer.
572
00:43:21,840 --> 00:43:24,320
And ultimately, it is a really sad story.
573
00:43:27,600 --> 00:43:30,999
I've heard some crazy stuff in 25 years.
574
00:43:31,000 --> 00:43:33,679
I've interviewed
prime ministers, pop stars,
575
00:43:33,680 --> 00:43:37,680
but this was so strange.
576
00:43:38,520 --> 00:43:40,759
The dark side of the human mind.
577
00:43:40,760 --> 00:43:45,999
As interesting as it was,
and as exciting as for a reporter it was,
578
00:43:46,000 --> 00:43:48,319
I don't want that shit in my head.
579
00:43:48,320 --> 00:43:49,320
No thanks.