UK rapper Yung Filly, known by his real name Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, has taken the witness stand in Australia, denying accusations of rape stemming from an alleged incident in 2024. Barrientos, 30, told the District Court of Western Australia on Monday that the "vibes were good" between him and the woman who is accusing him of sexual assault, following a performance at a nightclub in Hillarys, a coastal suburb of Perth.
Barrientos is facing a total of ten charges, including six counts of sexual penetration without consent, three counts of assault occasioning bodily harm, and one count of strangulation. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. The court heard that the alleged offences took place in his hotel room after he met the then-20-year-old woman at the concert venue.
During his testimony, Barrientos stated that he had "fancied" the woman when they first met, recalling that he had placed his hand on her waist but denied any inappropriate touching such as putting his hands down her trousers or touching her breast. He further explained that his security guard had taken the woman's phone upon their arrival at the hotel, a measure he described as "standard practice" to protect their privacy.
The trial, which began a week prior, has previously heard that the pair engaged in consensual sexual activity before Barrientos allegedly turned violent, at which point the woman reportedly told him to stop. Barrientos, who was on an Australian tour at the time of the alleged incident, was granted bail after being charged and permitted to return to the UK for four months in September 2024 before returning to Western Australia for the trial.
Beyond his music career, Yung Filly is also recognised for his involvement with the YouTube collective Beta Squad, appearances on the celebrity version of Channel 4's Bake Off, and presenting roles on BBC Three. He boasts a significant online presence, with 1.8 million YouTube subscribers, three million followers on TikTok, and 2.4 million on Instagram.