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

Salil Korambayil, 34, was jailed by Judge Simon Carr after being found guilty on three counts of rape. Korambayil, 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 that 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.

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.

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

In an updated victim impact statement, one victim described how the 2023 verdict concluded a period in her life haunted by flashbacks, nightmares and triggers. While the rape disrupted every single corner of her life, she found comfort in knowing he was in prison.

“The appeal and retrial forced me back into the darkest period of my life,” she continued. “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 explained how she watched the world around her move on while she remained battling with the aftermath of what Korambayil did to her. Addressing him, 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 Operation Humilis investigation, 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, and 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 added: “Devon and 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.