Doctor who raped nurse jailed as HSE admits he should have been suspended

David Raleigh

A doctor who raped a nurse, as she was sleeping on a couch at a friend’s apartment, was jailed for eight years on Friday.

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 rape and sexual assault of the woman, at an apartment in Limerick City, on March 2nd, 2024.

Kila raped the woman first, and when she told him to “stop”, he carried on sexually assaulting her.

At the time Kila was a senior registrar at University Hospital Limerick (UHL), and the victim was a nurse at the Limerick hospital in March 2024.

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.

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 that Kila, a Moroccan native, 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 gardai 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 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 Gillian.

The court heard that Kila told the victim 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 on the night, was sent to the victim’s boyfriend via social media.

The victim’s boyfriend messaged back, “We’re done”, which also caused the victim further anxiety and trauma as she had been “completely oblivious” to the taking 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.

Judge Gillane said that Kila acted in a “deeply manipulative” way when he sent the victim a text message, the day after he raped and assaulted her, asking if she was alright, that her well-being was important to him, and if she wanted to meet up for a chat.

Last week the victim courageously 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, the woman addressed 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.

The woman said that prior to the rape and assault, she had been “excited” to be nursing at UHL, but that after the rape, she felt “physically sick” walking back into the hospital, where Kila continued working for a time.

The victim concluded: “I am a strong woman, I will heal from this, and I will be a stronger more resilient version of myself. I will never let that man take that away from me.”

In respect fo the rape, the judge imposed a headline sentence of nine and half 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.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis Help. In the case of an emergency, always dial 999/112.