British rapper and YouTube personality Yung Filly has been acquitted of rape charges in Australia but convicted on two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm following a high-profile trial in Western Australia.
The entertainer, whose real name is Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, was accused of assaulting a 20-year-old woman after performing at a nightclub in the coastal suburb of Hillarys, Perth, in 2024.
After deliberations, a Western Australia jury found the 30-year-old not guilty on three counts of sexual penetration without consent. However, jurors convicted him on two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm.
The jury also acquitted Barrientos of one additional assault charge and a charge of strangulation but was unable to reach unanimous verdicts on three remaining rape charges. Prosecutors are expected to decide whether those outstanding charges will be retried.
Barrientos, who pleaded not guilty to all the charges, reportedly became emotional as the verdicts were delivered. He remains on bail and is due to return to court on August 21, when a date for sentencing on the assault convictions is expected to be fixed.
During the trial, the rapper testified that he was attracted to the complainant after meeting her at the concert venue and maintained that their subsequent sexual encounter at his hotel was consensual.
Prosecutors, however, alleged that the encounter became violent after consensual sex, accusing Barrientos of biting, bruising and attempting to choke the woman despite her repeated pleas for him to stop. The court was shown photographs of bruises and bite marks presented as evidence.
Barrientos admitted biting the woman but described the injuries as “love bites.” He denied assaulting her or ignoring requests to stop, insisting that the allegations against him were false.
In their closing submissions, prosecutors argued that Barrientos abused his celebrity status and acted with a sense of entitlement, while defence lawyers contended that the complainant’s testimony contained significant inconsistencies and should not be relied upon.
The case has attracted widespread attention in both the United Kingdom and Australia due to Barrientos’ popularity as a musician, content creator and television personality. The prosecution will now determine whether to pursue a retrial on the unresolved rape charges.
