Yung Filly testifies in Australian rape trial, denies assault
British rapper and YouTuber Yung Filly has testified in his own rape trial in Australia, telling a Perth court the "vibes were good" with a fan he is accused of assaulting after a 2024 nightclub gig. He denies six counts of sexual penetration without consent and related violence charges.
Key Takeaways
- Yung Filly, whose real name is Andrés Felipe Valencia Barrientos, took the stand at the District Court of Western Australia a week into his trial.
- He faces six counts of sexual penetration without consent, three assault charges, and one count of strangulation over a September 2024 hotel incident.
- He said the pair had consensual sex and denied choking or slapping, while agreeing he bit the woman.
- The alleged offences followed a gig in Hillarys, near Perth; the trial continues.
What did Yung Filly tell the court about that night?
Barrientos, 30, told the court he "fancied" the then-20-year-old woman when they met after his performance at Bar1 in Hillarys, a coastal Perth suburb. He said she leaned over a barrier from the general area while he was in VIP, and that the "vibes were good."
According to BBC News, he denied putting his hands down her pants or touching her breast at the club, saying he only recalled placing a hand on her waist. He said he asked her back to his hotel, and the pair later left in a minivan with his entourage around 3.30am for the Intercontinental hotel in Perth's CBD.
From the witness box, he described later sex as consensual and "great," with "grunting and moaning in a good way." He denied choking and slapping her, as alleged, but agreed he bit her numerous times, calling them "love bites." The jury has seen photos of alleged injuries, including deep bruising and bite marks on her face and neck.
What charges does the British YouTuber face?
Barrientos has pleaded not guilty to six counts of sexual penetration without consent, three counts of assault occasioning bodily harm, and one count of strangulation, or impeding the woman's breathing by applying pressure to her neck. The court previously heard the pair engaged in consensual sex before he allegedly turned violent and she told him to stop.
He agreed her phone was taken at the hotel, calling it "standard practice" for someone in the limelight to protect privacy. Under cross-examination, he said he was not surprised she returned with him and that he believed they would have sex, though he did not mention sex when inviting her to leave. He also denied giving her tequila shots, saying the bar manager handed them around.
Why does this trial matter for Yung Filly's public profile?
Beyond music, Yung Filly is known for YouTube collective Beta Squad, Channel 4's celebrity Bake Off, and presenting BBC Three shows. He has about 1.8 million YouTube subscribers, three million TikTok followers, and 2.4 million on Instagram.
He has been on bail since being charged and was allowed to fly home to the UK for four months before returning to Western Australia for trial. Coverage of the case sits alongside other high-profile hearings tracked in our true crime and unsolved mysteries section. The trial continues.