A former colorectal and vascular surgeon, Korambayil, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for a series of rape offences committed in North Devon in August 2020 and Cornwall in March 2021. The court heard that Korambayil targeted his victims through social media, attacking them in their own homes.
Judge Simon Carr, who sentenced Korambayil in December 2023, condemned his actions, stating, “You deliberately targeted women who were much older than you. You can find 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.”
The impact of Korambayil’s crimes on his victims was profound. Victim impact statements read in court described experiences of panic attacks, loss of confidence, and disturbed sleep. One victim expressed feeling “broken” by the experience, developing a phobia of clinicians resembling Korambayil, and losing faith in the medical profession.
In addition to the rape convictions, Korambayil also pleaded guilty to three charges under the Computer Misuse Act 1990 and the Data Protection Act 2018. These charges stemmed from unauthorized access to patient records at the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, where he had previously worked between 2016 and 2021. For these data breaches, Korambayil received a 12-month sentence, to be served consecutively with his 14-year rape sentence, bringing his total jail time to 15 years.
Detective Inspector Daniel Massey, who led the investigation, praised the courage of the victims, stating, “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.
Regarding the data misuse charges, DI Massey added, “The offender was a man in a position of trust and authority, and he abused that position with his actions.”
Devon and Cornwall Police have encouraged anyone who believes they may have been affected by Korambayil’s actions to come forward, quoting Operation Humilis and/or crime reference number 500020000444.
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