Rape doctor jailed for three years

By Charlie Charalambous

A NICOSIA doctor was yesterday sentenced to three years in prison for raping his female patient.

The doctor was sentenced by the criminal court, sitting in Nicosia, following Thursday’s plea for mitigation by his defence.

Urologist Achilleas Korellis, 44, was found guilty on Wednesday of raping a 21-year-old woman who had visited his surgery with her boyfriend.

Under the law, rape carries a maximum life sentence.

The judgment said that Korellis, a family man, had abused his trusted position and that his behaviour was unacceptable and a jail term must serve as a deterrent.

However, the three-judge bench did take into account that “no violence was used against the woman” and that the act itself lasted a “matter of seconds”.

Korellis’ career is almost certainly over, but his lawyers said yesterday they would appeal against the verdict.

The girl’s boyfriend had visited the doctor’s Nicosia clinic in August 1996 with a genital complaint after having sex, the court heard.

But after examining the boyfriend, the doctor told him to leave the room, leaving the woman alone on the pretext he needed to examine her, the court heard.

She was then told to undress and lie face down on the examination table where the doctor checked her genitals, it was alleged.

He then came from behind the examining table and tried to have sex with her, the woman said.

However, the woman managed to repel further advances from Korellis, and, when she turned round, saw the doctor with his trousers down, trying to conceal himself.

The woman escaped his clutches, ran out of the surgery and told her boyfriend. He then filed a complaint with the director of the clinic, and legal proceedings followed.

Following the conviction, the Medical Association said it would discuss whether Korellis should be struck off.

The Medical Association will forward the case to its disciplinary committee.

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