Deceptive Relationship Leads to 10-Year Prison Sentence for Woman Pretending to be a Man

Blade Silvano, 41, has been handed a ten-year and six-month prison term after being convicted of sexual assault by penetration against an unidentified female victim.

ilvano, who posed as a man, manipulated her victim into a two-year relationship, engaging in sexual acts through deceit.

The court learned that Silvano concealed her true gender by always wearing a t-shirt and boxers, maintaining a darkened environment, and preventing the victim from seeing her genitalia.

The couple communicated extensively through messages and ‘sexting,’ planning a wedding that never materialized. The victim, shocked to discover Silvano’s true gender on Facebook nearly two years into the relationship, reported feeling violated and traumatized.

The elaborate deception included false claims of cancer and military service. Detective Constable Leeza Phillips described the case as extraordinary, emphasizing the victim’s inability to provide informed consent.

Silvano, of Bishop’s Castle, Shropshire, denied meeting the victim physically and insisted on an ‘online relationship’ centered on roleplay and fantasy. The court, however, found her guilty, and Silvano was also placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.