Salil Korambayil, a 34-year-old trainee surgeon from Redhill, Surrey, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for raping two women he met on social media. The attacks occurred in August 2020 and March 2021, with the victims attacked in their own homes.
Retrial after appeal
Korambayil was initially convicted by a jury in November 2023 on three counts of rape. However, the Court of Appeal quashed those convictions and ordered a retrial. Following the retrial, he was found guilty of all three offences again.
Judge Simon Carr sentenced Korambayil to seven years for each victim, to run consecutively, totaling 14 years. He must also sign the sex offenders’ register for life.
Victim impact
One of Korambayil's victims described the ordeal of the retrial as forcing her 'back into the darkest period of her life'. She stated that the initial 2023 verdict had brought an end to a period 'haunted by flashbacks, nightmares and triggers', but the appeal and retrial reopened her trauma.
In her victim impact statement, she said: '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.'
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.'
Details of the offences
One rape occurred in North Devon in August 2020, involving one victim. The other two rapes, relating to a second victim, took place in Cornwall in March 2021. Korambayil had worked as a trainee colorectal and vascular surgeon in hospitals between 2016 and 2021.
Police praise
Detective Inspector Daniel Massey, who led the investigation for Devon and Cornwall Police, praised the victims: '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.'
He also thanked the investigation team, including colleagues at the CPS and other partners, for their hard work and focus.
