Married Edinburgh GP used fake Tinder profile and raped drugged student nurse

A married GP raped a student nurse moments after her drink was spiked with a substance which caused her drift in and out of consciousness.

Doctor Manesh Gill, 39, carried out the attack after luring the victim to a hotel in Stirling on December 8 2018.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard that Gill went onto Tinder and called himself ‘Mike’ before he ‘superliked’ his victim’s profile on the dating app.

The woman now 23, said Gill lied that the hotel toilets were closed to con her into entering his hotel room where he gave her a “really strong” pink gin and lemonade.

Rapist Edinburgh GP now facing a prison sentence: Dr Manesh Gill Pic: Matthew Donnelly

She told prosecutor Stephanie Ross: “He was on top of me. I was trying to push him off. I couldn’t.

“I just felt like my whole body was stuck to the bed. He was having sex with me. I wanted to go home. I felt as if I couldn’t move. I couldn’t do anything. My body shut down.”

Gill, a GP in an Edinburgh practice, admitted bringing a condom, Viagra and a bottle of pink gin - the woman’s favourite drink - to the hotel. But he denied that this was evidence he was planning to have sex with the woman.

After his arrest, Gill asked a colleague: “What if they find morphine in her system? It will be her word against mine.”

Despite the outburst, the jury delete the allegation that Gill, who was based in the city’s Cramond area, had administered the unknown substance and the culprit’s identity is officially “unknown”.

Details of the woman’s ordeal emerged during a four day trial at the High Court in Edinburgh.

Gill, of upmarket Corstorphine, denied raping the woman, but the jury heard that the father-of-three cheated on his wife and looked for women on Tinder.

The woman told Ms Ross that Gill ‘superliked’ her profile and that the two of them used messaging app Snapchat to talk to each other for about six weeks before the assault.

The court heard that she drank three to four pink gins and that Gill had a drink which “looked like cola mixed with something”.

The woman said she and Gill spoke about work and that she did not feel drunk but was felt ready to leave Gill and phone a taxi to take her home but needed to go to the lavatory first.

She added: “I was fine. I didn’t feel uncomfortable or anything.”

The woman said: “He told me the toilets were closed but I could come up to his room and use that one.

“I took his word for it. I thought he was just being nice. I didn’t think anything of it. It was fine. I wasn’t made to feel uncomfortable.”

She then got into a lift with Gill and went to his room and she noticed he had a bottle of pink gin and a bottle of vodka.

She said she used his bathroom but came back out to find that Gill had made her a drink which was “really strong” and started to feel “more and more tired.”

The woman said: “I just felt like my body was heavy and I just felt sleepy and tired as if I wanted to go to bed.”

She added: “I think the only thing I remember him saying was ‘I want to f*** you. I think that was the only thing he said. The rest of the time he was quite silent.”

The woman said she said ‘no’ and ‘stop it’ during the attack and when she was able to get up she went to the bathroom where she found her clothes.

She said: “I came out of the bathroom and said ‘I know what you’ve been doing to me’. I don’t think he said anything.

“I think he said ‘come back to bed’ but i can’t remember the exact words he said to me.”

When asked by Ms Ross whether she consented to the actions, the woman said: “No. It wasn’t my intention. It was my intention to go to the room to use the toilet and that was that. I wanted to go on a date for about an hour.”

The woman managed to leave the hotel and contacted police.

Giving evidence, Gill told defence solicitor advocate Iain McSporran QC, he was “extremely sorry” for cheating on his wife.

He added: “I’m a married man with a professional job and I was meeting women on dates. I didn’t want it connected with my job or my wife.”

Gill admitted bringing Viagra, a condom and alcohol to the hotel and claimed that sex with the woman was consensual. He was arrested by police the following morning.

Mr McSporran told the court that Gill had a Malaysian passport and was willing to surrender it to the authorities by Friday night if he was granted bail.

Trial judge Lord Tyre warned Gill that he is facing a term in prison and advised him to put his “affairs in order”.

He added: “By the verdict of the jury you have been found guilty of the crime of rape.

“It is a very serious offence and it is very unlikely that I will be unable to deal with you by with disposal other than a custodial sentence.

“I shall continue bail in this case for the meantime but you should put your affairs in order.”

Lord Tyre also placed Gill on the Sex Offenders’ Register.

Gill, who left the court carrying a bag, will be sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh on June 15.