In brief
On Monday, Yung Filly appeared as a witness in the District Court of Western Australia, claiming a positive rapport with the 20‑year‑old woman he is accused of raping. He said the ‘vibes were good’ when they met, adding he had only put his hand on her waist and denied any inappropriate contact. The rapper, whose real name is Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, faces six counts of sexual penetration without consent, three counts of assault occasioning bodily harm and a strangulation charge. He was on bail and had recently been granted leave to fly home to the UK before returning to Australia for the trial. His career includes a sizable social media following and appearances on televised shows, but the allegations remain the focus of the court proceedings.
UK rapper Yung Filly told a court that the “vibes were good” between him and the woman he is accused of raping during a 2024 nightclub tour in Australia.
The rapper, whose real name is Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, appeared on the evidence stand at the District Court of Western Australia on Monday, a week after the trial began.
Barrientos is charged with six counts of sexual penetration without consent, three counts of assault occasioning bodily harm, and one count of strangulation against the 20‑year‑old woman, following an alleged encounter in his hotel room after a concert in Hillarys, a suburb of Perth.
During the hearing, the rapper said he had "fancied" the woman when they met at the concert venue, noting he was in the VIP area while she leaned over the barrier from the general area.
He denied touching her inappropriately, stating, "I recall putting my hand on her waist," but insisted he had not put his hands down her pants or touched her breast.
Barrientos further claimed the "vibes were good" when they both arrived at his hotel. He said a security guard took the woman’s phone—a so‑called "standard practice" to protect her privacy—upon his arrival.
The court heard that the pair had engaged in consensual sex prior to the alleged assault, after which the woman told him to stop.
A native of Panama, Barrientos has built a reputation through his work with the YouTube collective Beta Squad and appearances on Channel 4’s celebrity version of Bake Off, as well as presenting shows on BBC Three.
He has been on bail since the charges were filed and was allowed to return to the UK in September for a four‑month stay, before flying back to Western Australia before his trial.
Beyond his music career, the rapper boasts a follower base of 1.8 million on YouTube, three million on TikTok, and 2.4 million on Instagram.
