A former vascular surgeon has been sentenced to 32 months in prison after deliberately freezing his own legs with dry ice so they required amputation. The extreme act was driven by a long-standing sexual obsession, and he later fraudulently claimed almost Ksh90 million from insurance companies by pretending the amputations were due to illness.
Investigations revealed that the man dishonestly made false representations to multiple insurers, stating that his legs had been lost to sepsis. In reality, he had inflicted the injuries on himself in April 2019, intentionally ensuring they would become non-viable and require surgical removal. After the amputations, he received huge payouts, which he spent on personal luxuries including a campervan, a hot tub, and home improvements.
Alongside the fraud, the surgeon admitted to possessing extreme pornographic material linked to an underground website that promoted severe body modification, including castration and penis removal. His case came to light during wider investigations into the site’s operator, who had previously been jailed for leading an international body modification network.
Although hospital officials stressed that no evidence suggested patients were ever placed at risk, some former patients who underwent amputations have since approached legal experts, fearing their treatment may not have been necessary.
The sentencing judge imposed a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and confirmed that a proceeds of crime investigation would pursue the recovery of some of the fraudulently obtained funds. The court also heard that the surgeon is set to lose his home and that his marriage has broken down, with his wife seeking divorce.
Despite the gravity of his actions, the surgeon had previously courted publicity by speaking openly about his amputations in media interviews and even applying to become a disabled astronaut with the European Space Agency. His medical career came to a halt in 2023 when he was suspended from the register following his arrest.
This disturbing case highlights the dangerous intersection of extreme fetishism, fraud, and medical misconduct, leaving patients, insurers, and the public grappling with its implications.
