Woman, 40, ‘had two-year sexual relationship with female victim she tricked into believing she was a man’
A WOMAN had a two-year sexual relationship with a female victim she tricked into believing she was a man, a court heard.
The complainant had sex twice with Blade Silvano after they met on dating site Plenty of Fish, it was said.
She was even planning on marrying the 40-year-old until discovering her partner was actually a woman.
Cambridge Crown Court heard the pair met in 2016 when Silvano posted on the site claiming she was a “man looking for a woman”.
They met in person in December that year and kissed before having sexual intercourse on two separate occasions, jurors were told.
But Silvano allegedly used an “unknown item” during sex to penetrate the woman and always had a t-shirt and boxers on.
The alleged victim only discovered her true identity two years later when her contacts synced on a new Facebook account and revealed a different surname for Silvano.
She today still referred to the defendant as a “he”, adding: “I’ve only known Blade as a man.”
The woman denied telling Silvano her “sexual fantasy” was to have sex with a woman and said she did not identify as bisexual on her dating profile.
Debra White, defending, also claimed the surname Mendez, which Silvano used during the relationship, was also “part of a fantasy” and was chosen because it was the “surname of a football player”.
The lawyer also claimed the pair “never met in the flesh” and all their communication took place on the phone, which the complainant denied.
Ms White said: “It wasn’t a real relationship. It was an opportunity to explore another part of her character. The communication was roleplay fantasy?”
The alleged victim responded: “It felt very real when emotions got involved, I was not acting on my behalf.”
Silvano, of Bishop’s Castle, Shropshire, denies two counts of assault by penetration.
The trial continues.