A physician who sexually assaulted a nurse while she slept on a couch in a friend’s apartment was sentenced to eight years in prison on Friday, reports Breaking News.
The victim, entitled to legal anonymity, declared that she “got justice” once her attacker, Dr Louay Kila, was found guilty by a jury after his trial last week.
Kila, aged 31, had pleaded not guilty to rape and sexual assault of the woman at a Limerick City apartment on March 2nd, 2024.
Kila raped the woman initially, and even after she pleaded with him to “stop”, he persisted with the sexual assault, reports Breaking News.
During the offence, Kila was employed as a senior registrar at University Hospital Limerick (UHL), and the victim was working as a nurse at the same hospital in Limerick in March 2024.
Following Kila’s conviction, the HSE issued a statement admitting it ought to have suspended him from work right away, yet it failed to act, reports Breaking News.
“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, reports Breaking News.
“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, reports Breaking News.
Kila, residing in Cois Luachra, Dooradoyle, voluntarily withdrew his name from the register of medical practitioners in Ireland in March 2025, reports Breaking News.
Court evidence revealed that Kila came across the victim at a bar that evening, and the two later arrived at the apartment independently within separate groups.
Judge Sean Gillane, during sentencing, remarked that Kila, a native of Morocco, had “deliberately exploited” the victim’s “vulnerability” as she was intoxicated and asleep at the time of the rape and assault, reports Breaking News.
The judge pointed out that Kila presented unsubstantiated assertions to gardaí claiming consensual kissing and touching had taken place between him and the victim at the apartment, reports Breaking News.
Kila claimed to gardaí that the victim invented the rape and sexual assault accusations out of embarrassment and fear that her boyfriend at the time would discover she had kissed Kila.
The judge confirmed that the jury “rightfully rejected” Kila’s baseless assertions.
“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, reports Breaking News.
“The victim was vulnerable through consumption of alcohol and sleep and she was deliberately exploited by (Kila). She could not have anticipated she was in any danger,” said Judge Gillane, reports Breaking News.
The hearing disclosed that Kila expressed dislike for the victim’s boyfriend. That same night, a photo showing Kila kissing the sleeping victim on the side of her face was transmitted to her boyfriend through social media, reports Breaking News.
Her boyfriend responded with the message “We’re done”, inflicting further distress and trauma on the victim, who remained “completely oblivious” to the photograph being captured and forwarded.
“It was a deliberate act of humiliation and is a highly aggravating factor in this case,” said the judge.
As Kila, accompanied by a friend that evening, prepared to leave the apartment following the rape and assault, he seized the victim by the jaw and attempted a forceful kiss, reports Breaking News.
“The kiss added insult to injury and reflects very badly on the accused,” said the judge, reports Breaking News.
Judge Gillane described Kila’s conduct as “deeply manipulative” for sending the victim a text the next day inquiring whether she was okay, stating her well-being was important to him, and proposing they meet to talk.
Last week the victim faced Kila in court with courage after his conviction on both counts and stated directly to him: “I got justice,” reports Breaking News.
In delivering her victim impact statement before the court, the woman spoke to Kila: “To my rapist, I stood up and I am holding you accountable for your actions and I got justice.”
“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, reports Breaking News.
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