In brief
UK rapper Yung Filly (real name Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos) appeared at Western Australia's District Court following allegations that he sexually assaulted a 20‑year‑old woman in his hotel room after a Perth nightclub performance. He claimed he had only put his hand on her waist and that the couple shared consensual sex before a violent incident. Despite pleading not guilty to six charges of sexual penetration without consent, three of assault occasioning bodily harm, and one of strangulation, the case highlights the broader discourse on celebrity accountability and gender‑based violence. The trial continues amid public scrutiny.
UK rapper Yung Filly has told a court that the “vibes were good” between him and a woman he is accused of raping after performing at a nightclub in Australia in 2024.
The rapper, whose real name is Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, took the witness stand at the District Court of Western Australia on Monday a week after the trial began.
He is accused of sexually assaulting a 20‑year‑old woman in their hotel room after a concert in Hillarys, a coastal suburb of Perth.
Barrientos, 30, has pleaded not guilty to six counts of sexual penetration without consent, three counts of assault occasioning bodily harm, and one count of strangulation.
Barrientos told the court he had “fancied” the woman when they met at the venue, in the VIP area while she leaned over the barrier.
He denied touching her inappropriately.
“I recall putting my hand on her waist,” he said, adding that he’d not put his hands down her pants or breast.
The “vibes were good” later when they arrived at his hotel, he explained. The guard took her phone away as a “standard practice” to protect privacy.
The court heard the pair engaged in consensual sex before he turned violent and she told him to stop.
Touring Australia at the time of the alleged offences, Barrientos has built a following through the YouTube collective Beta Squad and has appeared on the celebrity version of Bake Off on Channel 4 and on BBC Three shows.
He has been on bail since the charges were filed and was allowed to fly home to the UK in September for four months before returning to Western Australia ahead of the trial.
Beyond his 1.8 million YouTube subscribers, he has three million TikTok followers and 2.4 million on Instagram.
