Rapist surgeon pleads guilty to misusing patient records in Devon and Cornwall

A trainee surgeon who was jailed for raping women in Devon and Cornwall has now pleaded guilty to misusing patient records. 

Salil Korambayil, from 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.

The 32-year-old was jailed for 14 years.

Now Korambayil has pleaded guilty to three charges relating to misuse of records at hospital trusts in Devon and Cornwall. 

He was sentenced to 12 months for this on Thursday 29 August, to be served consecutively with the sentence for rape.

Further information on the rape offences have now been released since sentencing has concluded for the data breach case. 

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. 

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 lost faith in the medical and surgical profession, and suffers panic attacks during examinations. 

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.”  

As for the data breach offences, Korambayil admitted looking at patient records without any work-related need at the NHS trusts where he had previously worked - the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, and the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust. 

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 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.” 

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.”