Blade Silvano jailed for posing as a man to deceive a female partner

Blade Silvano, then in their early 40s and from Bishop's Castle in Shropshire, was convicted at Cambridge Crown Court in 2023 of sexual assault after deceiving a woman into believing they were a man. The trial was held in May 2023, and the sentence followed in December.

The court heard that Silvano met the victim on the dating site Plenty of Fish in 2016, using a fake profile and photographs presenting as a man. The relationship lasted about two years, and prosecutors said the deception extended to sexual contact, in which the victim was prevented from seeing what was happening. The victim learned the truth in 2018 after finding a Facebook profile showing Silvano was a woman.

In England and Wales, courts have held that deceiving someone about gender can negate consent, so sexual activity obtained this way can amount to sexual assault. Silvano was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison. Sentencing was delayed several times, including once because of a transport failure for a prisoner contractor, and the judge apologised to the victim. The case became the main reference point when a later, similar conviction was reported.