‘I felt sick that he was near my mum’: a top amputation surgeon had his own legs removed due to a fetish. Were his patients safe?
Neil Hopper was celebrated for continuing to do his job despite the loss of his lower limbs. But what the people he was treating didn’t know was that his injuries were self-inflicted. Now they and their families are asking questions Warning: this story contains graphic descriptions of bodily mutilation that some readers may find upsetting Of all the things that happened in the fraught days after…
In the aftermath of 72-year-old Liz Spooner's lengthy and distressing leg amputation at the Royal Cornwall hospital in Truro in 2022, her daughter Faye Harrison remains haunted by a particular memory. During the procedure, which spanned longer than expected and left her delirious from the anesthesia and morphine, a consultant surgeon approached her with an unnerving sight.
Despite having undergone his own amputation, the surgeon exhibited a fetishistic behavior that left Faye in disbelief. As she listened to the list of medications Liz required, her gaze fell upon the surgeon's trouser legs, where metal sticks protruded from the fabric. Upon noticing this, Faye felt sick, questioning the safety of her mother and other patients treated by the same surgeon.
The revelation of the amputee surgeon's fetishistic tendencies raises concerns about his competence and the potential risks posed to those under his care.
Written by urgent.news from Guardian Health's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
