Home Office interpreter Tang Ge raped student, 24, after putting sleeping pill in her coffee

• Tang Ge, 38, of Irlam, Greater Manchester, met woman after placing advert
• Said on community forum that he wanted someone to do domestic chores
• Put sleeping pill in her drink, saying: 'Drink your coffee, it's getting cold'
• Student woke up in bed 10 hours later with some of her clothing removed

By Mark Duell

PUBLISHED: 10:55 EST, 12 November 2012 | UPDATED: 11:37 EST, 12 November 2012

Jailed: Tang Ge, 38, of Irlam, Greater Manchester, had met the woman after putting an advert on an online community forum asking for domestic help

A ‘conniving and dangerous’ Home Office interpreter has been jailed for nine years after drugging a 24-year-old college student and raping her at her home while she was asleep.

Tang Ge, 38, of Irlam, Greater Manchester, had met the unidentified woman after putting an advert on an online community forum looking for someone to do domestic chores, police said.

She took a coffee from him not realising he had secretly slipped a sleeping pill into it, before he clinked his cup against hers and told her: ‘drink your coffee, it’s getting cold’ and ‘bottoms up’.

The woman began to feel faint before Ge slipped tablets into a glass of water. He was heard stirring it with a spoon before he suggested she drink that too, Manchester Crown Court was told.

The student woke up in bed 10 hours later with some of her clothing removed but no memory of what happened. Tests revealed she was raped.

Ge - who translated Mandarin at police stations, detention centres and courts - was today starting a nine-year prison term after being convicted of rape and perverting the course of justice.

The incident occurred in September 2009 after Ge - also known as 'Tony' - had befriended the foreign student via the advert he placed a few weeks before, Manchester Crown Court heard.

Ge turned up at her home at lunchtime and asked if he could come in to eat some food he had bought from a cafe. She let him in and was given the takeaway coffee he had also just bought.

Hearing: The incident occurred in September 2009, Manchester Crown Court (pictured) was told

The woman started to feel dizzy so Ge went to get her a glass of water. She heard the sound of him stirring the glass and when he returned she saw that it was cloudy.

Mugshot: Ge used to translate Mandarin at police stations, detention centres and courts

She pretended to drink the water before hiding it, but then passed out. She later woke up and called police. Forensic officers arrived and recovered items including the glass of water.

Two days later Ge was arrested and interviewed.  Forensic analysis of the victim’s blood revealed traces of Temazepam and Oxazepam, both of which are sedatives.

The cloudy liquid in the glass from the victim’s home was found to contain Temazepam. Forensic tests also confirmed Ge had raped her.

In February 2012, Ge stood trial but a jury failed to reach a verdict after he insisted the woman was lying.

Police probed some of his defence evidence and discovered it had been deliberately falsified.

His medical records revealed that he had been prescribed the sedatives used in the attack. He was convicted following a retrial.

Detective Constable Dave Ogden of Greater Manchester Police said today: ‘Once Ge had gained the confidence and trust of the victim he wormed his way into her flat where he drugged and raped her.

‘The victim only started to piece together her awful ordeal when she regained consciousness some nine or 10 hours later. I cannot even begin to imagine the horror she experienced when she realised that she had been raped by Ge.

‘To make matters worse he has failed to acknowledge what he has done throughout, trying to make the victim out to be a liar and forcing her to sit through two trials.

‘I am pleased he has been exposed as the conniving and dangerous sex offender he is and I hope the victim can feel some sense of justice now he has been jailed.’