Devon & Cornwall Police News site

A trainee surgeon who was convicted of raping two women in North Devon and Cornwall has also pleaded guilty to misusing patient records at hospital trusts.

Salil Korambayil was jailed for 14 years for rape and one year for offences under the Computer Misuse Act 1990 and the Data Protection Act 2018, with the sentences running consecutively.

Korambayil, aged 32, of Redhill in Surrey, attacked and raped the two victims in their own homes after meeting them on social media. He was convicted by a jury after denying three counts of rape, at Truro Crown Court in November 2023.

Korambayil has also pleaded guilty to three charges relating to misuse of records at hospital trusts in Devon and Cornwall, for which he was sentenced to 12 months to be served consecutively with the sentence for rape.

Sentencing details for the rape cases can be made public today, Thursday 29 August, after reporting restrictions were lifted following sentencing for the data related offences.

Detectives have praised the courage of the victims of his crimes.

One of the rape offences took place in North Devon in August 2020 and the other two happened in Cornwall in March 2021.  

Korambayil had worked in hospitals as a trainee colorectal and vascular surgeon between 2016 and 2021, the court heard. 

Sentencing Korambayil for the rapes in December 2023, Judge Simon Carr told him: “You deliberately targeted women who were very much older than you. You found them on the internet. You saw pictures of them. You were very aware of the age gap. In the case of both of them, you spent over a year grooming them - there’s no other word.”

Personal statements from both victims were read out in court. 

One said that, since the rape, she has lost confidence and no longer feels comfortable walking alone. If she must go somewhere on her own, she travels by car, even for short journeys. She experiences panic attacks and takes medication to control these.  

She suffers from loss of sleep, has experienced a decline in her mental health and endures rapid mood swings. 

She said: “I have a constant nightmare of being chased and hunted down, I also sometimes wake myself up screaming. In the morning, I don’t feel as though I have slept at all, and I constantly wake up during the night.” 

The second victim described how, prior to the attack, she had been resilient, professional and vivacious, with a wide circle of friends. Since that day she is haunted by flashbacks and nightmares and felt ‘broken’ by the experience. 

She said that everything she does now is in solitude. She has developed a phobia of clinicians who resemble Korambayil, suffers panic attacks during examinations and has lost faith in the medical and surgical profession. 

The victim added: “Despite all the disruption, distress and trauma, you did one thing right in all of this and that was to underestimate me. I take comfort and pride in knowing that your decision to pick on me that night, led to you eventually paying for your crimes.”  

He was sentenced and jailed on 15 December 2023 but reporting restrictions on the case were imposed by the judge until court proceedings relating to the data breaches had concluded.  

Korambayil admitted looking at patient records without any work-related need at the NHS trusts where he had previously worked.   

These offences were related to the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust. 

Two other charges under the Computer Misuse Act relating to alleged incidents at the University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust and the Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust were dismissed by the judge at an earlier hearing.

Detective Inspector Daniel Massey, who led the investigation, under the name Operation Humulis, said: “I would want to highlight to everyone that this outcome is more about the courageous victims, who were so brave to not only come forward and report what had happened to them, but to also remain engaged throughout the process. 

“It is also about justice for these victims and their loved ones, as being able to see Salil Korambayil convicted for these truly awful crimes is a positive for all. 

“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.” 

In regard to accessing NHS records, he said: “We are pleased with the additional sentence passed by the court today following a lengthy and complex investigation.

“The offender was a man in a position of trust and authority, and he abused that position with his actions.

“We would like to thank everyone who supported this investigation and helped us to achieve this outcome.”

Anyone who thinks they may have been affected can contact Devon and Cornwall Police, quoting Operation Humilis and/or crime reference 50002000044 or contact their local Force.

Support available

Support is also available or you can report a crime by contacting the police via our website here or by calling 101. Alternatively, advice and support are also offered by our partner agencies: 

National Rape Crisis Helpline: 0808 802 9999  

Devon and Cornwall Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARC): 0300 3034626 

More: www.dc.police.uk/Rape-SexualAssault 

If you have been affected by crime, please visit victimcare-dc.org to access support services and information on your rights and how to navigate the criminal justice system. You can also call Victim Support on 08 08 16 89 111 or Devon and Cornwall Police’s Victim Care Unit on 01392 475900.