Trainee surgeon jailed for raping two women in Devon and Cornwall after retrial
Salil Korambayil, 34, from Surrey, has now been sentenced to 14 years in prison
A trainee surgeon has been jailed for 14 years after being convicted at a retrial of raping two women in Devon and Cornwall.
Salil Korambayil, 34, of Redhill, Surrey, was sentenced after being found guilty of three counts of rape.
The court heard how Korambayil attacked and raped the two victims in their own homes after meeting them on social media.
He was previously convicted by a jury in November 2023 after denying three counts of rape, at Truro Crown Court.
Korambayil had appealed the verdict, leading to his convictions being quashed by the Court of Appeal and a retrial being ordered.
Reporting restrictions imposed during the retrial have now been lifted, allowing details of the case to be shared publicly.
At Truro Crown Court today (25 June) Korambayil received consecutive seven-year sentences for each victim and is required to sign the sex offenders’ register for life.
During court proceedings, it was revealed that Korambayil worked as a trainee colorectal and vascular surgeon in hospitals from 2016 to 2021.
Jurors heard one of the rape offences took place in North Devon in August 2020 and the other two relating to a second victim happened in Cornwall in March 2021.
In an updated victim impact statement, one of the victims described how the 2023 verdict brought to an end a period in her life haunted by flashbacks, nightmares and triggers.
She added that the rape disrupted every single corner of her life, but when Korambayil was sentenced the first time she was able to use the comfort of knowing he was in prison to try to move forward and heal.
She said: “The appeal and retrial forced me back into the darkest period of my life.
“The distress I described in my first statement has not been left in the past. It has been reopened, revisited and prolonged, most acutely through the two and a half hours of detailed, relentless and sexually graphic cross examination, in front of a room full of strangers.”
The victim went onto describe how she watched the world around her move on while she remained battling with the aftermath of what Korambayil did to her.
Addressing Korambayil, she added: “Although I will likely still be living with the consequences of your actions, long after your sentence has ended, I am grateful that I have been afforded a level of justice that many do not.”
Detective Inspector Daniel Massey, who led the investigation, under the name Operation Humilis, said: “I want to praise the victims for having to go through the trial process a second time, I can only imagine the impact this has had.
“Their courage, resilience and perseverance is a testament to who they are. I am extremely grateful for their continued positive engagement over the past five years.
“I would also like to thank the investigation team, which includes our colleagues at the CPS and other partners, all of whom have worked very hard and remained focused to get to this point.”
He also said: “As a Force, Devon & Cornwall Police remains committed to encouraging and supporting any victim of a sexual or abusive nature to come forward and report what has happened.
“We will always actively investigate any such crime and seek to bring those responsible to justice.”