A doctor who raped a nurse as she was sleeping on a couch at a friend’s apartment has been jailed for eight years.
The victim, who is entitled to her legal right to anonymity, said she “got justice” after her rapist, Dr Louay Kila, was convicted by a jury last week following his trial.
Kila (31) had denied the rape and sexual assault of the woman at an apartment in Limerick city on March 2nd, 2024.
Kila raped the woman and when she told him to “stop” he carried on sexually assaulting her, the court heard.
At the time Kila was a senior registrar at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) and the victim was a nurse at the same hospital.
In a statement after Kila’s conviction, the HSE said it should have immediately suspended Kila from duty but it did not.
“Dr Kila should have been suspended from clinical practice when we became aware of the assault. Regrettably, this did not occur. This does not reflect current practice and policy,” said HSE Mid West.
“Protective measures were put in place for the victim based on her individual requirements following her identification of the assault. The welfare of our staff remains our priority,” it added.
Kila, of Cois Luachra, Dooradoyle, was voluntarily suspended from the list of medical practitioners in Ireland in March 2025 – a year after the rape.
The court heard Kila encountered the victim at a bar on the night and they later separately went to an apartment afterwards as part of two different groups.
Sentencing, Judge Sean Gillane said Kila, who is originally from Morocco, had “deliberately exploited” the victim’s “vulnerability” as she had been intoxicated and asleep when he raped and assaulted her.
The judge said Kila made unfounded claims to gardaí that he and the victim had engaged in consensual kissing and touching at the apartment.
Kila told gardaí that the victim had concocted the rape and sex assault complaint against him because she was embarrassed and concerned that her then boyfriend would find out she had been kissing Kila.
The judge said the jury “rightfully rejected” Kila’s unfounded claims.
“He [Kila] maintained it knowing it to be false. His level of culpability is very high. He was a mature man and a doctor where the victim worked,” said the judge.
The court heard Kila told the victim on the night that he did not like her boyfriend. Later on the night, a photograph of Kila kissing the victim on the side of her face, while she was asleep, was sent to the victim’s boyfriend via social media.
The victim’s boyfriend messaged the account back “we’re done”, which caused the victim further anxiety and trauma as she had been “completely oblivious” to the taking of, and sending of, the photograph.
“It was a deliberate act of humiliation and is a highly aggravating factor in this case,” said the judge.
When Kila, who was accompanied by a friend on the night, was leaving the apartment after raping and assaulting the woman, he grabbed her by her jaw and tried to forcefully kiss her.
“The kiss added insult to injury and reflects very badly on the accused,” said the judge.
Gillane said Kila acted in a “deeply manipulative” way when he sent the victim a text message the day after he raped and assaulted her, saying her wellbeing was important to him and asking did she want to meet for a chat.
Last week the victim faced Kila in court after the jury convicted him of both offences and told him: “I got justice.”
Reading a victim impact statement in court, she said: “I hope to be an inspiration for any woman who has dealt with an incident like this and encourage them to stand up and hold their rapists accountable.”
She said prior to the rape and assault she had been “excited” to be nursing at UHL but afterwards she “couldn’t return there”.
She said she felt “physically sick” walking back into the hospital where Kila continued working for a time.
In respect of the rape, the judge imposed a headline sentence of 9½ years, reducing it to eight years. Kila received a concurrent four-year sentence for the sexual assault, and was placed on a register for sex offenders.
The Rape Crisis Centre 24-hour national helpline can be reached at freephone 1800 778888