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A jury in Perth, Australia has convicted British entertainer Yung Filly on assault charges following a high-profile trial that captured international attention. The 30-year-old, whose real name is Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, wept in court as the verdicts were delivered by the jury in the District Court of Western Australia.
Barrientos had pleaded not guilty to six counts of rape, three counts of assault occasioning bodily harm, and one count of choking in connection with an alleged incident in a Perth hotel room in September 2024. The charges stemmed from allegations involving a 20-year-old woman who cannot be legally named under Australian law.
The case centered on an encounter that prosecutors said began consensually but escalated into sexual violence. According to the prosecution’s account, the woman initially agreed to have sex with Barrientos but withdrew her consent when she began to fear for her safety. Evidence presented to the court included photographs showing bruising and bite marks on the woman’s face and neck.
During closing arguments, prosecutor Danielle Clarke characterized Barrientos as an “entitled man” with a “moderate degree of fame” who had been sexually violent toward an “impressionable” young woman. She told the jury that “what could have been and should have been consensual sex quickly escalated into sexual violence and a non-consensual nightmare.”
Barrientos took the witness stand in his own defense, denying that he slapped or choked the woman. He acknowledged biting her multiple times but characterized the bites as consensual, telling the court, “In England we would call it a love bite.” He also denied that the woman repeatedly told him to stop or that she said he was hurting her, saying instead that “there was kissing in between.”
The defense lawyer, David Edwardson, argued that the accuser’s testimony was “riddled with inconsistencies, embellishments and outright lies.”
Barrientos, a Colombian-born entertainer who moved to the UK as a child, is best known for his work with the YouTube collective Beta Squad and has presented shows on BBC Three. He had been touring Australia performing his music when the alleged assault occurred following a nightclub performance in Perth. The incident allegedly took place on September 28, 2024.
He was arrested in Brisbane on October 8, 2024, and extradited to Perth, where he was granted bail with strict conditions including remaining in Western Australia and refraining from posting about the case on social media. While on bail, he pleaded guilty to a reckless driving charge in December 2024 after being caught driving nearly 60 kilometers per hour over the speed limit on a Perth highway.
In the UK, Barrientos has built a substantial media presence. He won a Mobo Award for best media personality in 2021 and has appeared on various television programs including Channel 4’s The Great Celebrity Bake Off, ITV’s Soccer Aid, and BBC programs. He has collaborated musically with artists including Chip and Aitch, and maintains a significant following across social media platforms with millions of subscribers and followers.
The conviction marks the conclusion of a months-long legal battle that has drawn significant attention to questions of consent and the treatment of sexual assault allegations in the Australian legal system. The case proceeded through the District Court of Western Australia with Judge Linda Black presiding over the proceedings.