A TRAINEE surgeon has been sentenced to 14 years in prison after being convicted at a retrial for raping two women in North Devon and Cornwall.

Salil Korambayil was jailed by Judge Simon Carr after being found guilty on three counts of rape.

Korambayil, aged 34, of Redhill in Surrey, attacked and raped the two victims in their own homes after meeting them on social media. He was previously convicted by a jury after denying three counts of rape, at Truro Crown Court in November 2023.

Following the first trial, Korambayil appealed against his convictions and the Court of Appeal quashed them and ordered a retrial.

Reporting restrictions were imposed until the conclusion of the retrial, but these have now been lifted following the guilty verdicts, so the details can be made public today, Thursday, June 25.

Korambayil was jailed for seven years in relation to each victim, to run consecutively. He must also sign the sex offenders’ register for life.

The victims of his crimes have been praised for their fortitude in remaining engaged throughout the investigation and judicial process.

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.

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

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 on to 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.”

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 the Force website here or by calling 101. Alternatively, advice and support are also offered by police partner agencies:

National Rape Crisis Helpline: 0808 802 9999

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

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 0808 1689111 or Devon and Cornwall Police’s Victim Care Unit on 01392 475900.