UK rapper and YouTube star Yung Filly has been arrested and charged with rape in Australia.
The 29-year-old internet personality – real name Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos – appeared in Perth Magistrates Court yesterday (October 9), charged with three counts of assault occasioning bodily harm and four counts of sexual penetration without consent (via The Independent).
Barrientos, who is currently on tour in Australia, was also charged with one count of impeding another person’s breathing or circulation by applying pressure to their neck.
The alleged assault of a woman in her 20s took place on in a Perth hotel room on September 28, following the rapper’s performance at the Bar 120 nightclub on September 27.
Barrientos was subsequently arrested in Brisbane and extradited to Perth this Wednesday (October 8). According to BBC News, he has now had his bail application approved.
It is reported that images of the woman’s injuries allegedly caused by Barrientos were given to the magistrate by the prosecution.
“No ordinary person can consent in these circumstances,” the prosecution said. “Across her body is a history of violent acts… We say these photos and what is alleged is beyond the pale, beyond what could be considered to be a consensual act.”
The rapper and YouTuber was born in Cali, Colombia, and moved to the UK as a child with his family. He lived in Orpington in Bromley, and later took an interest in the south-east London grime scene.
Earlier this year, he released a joint single with Aitch titled ‘Grey’. His other collaborators include Chunkz and Geko.
Barrientos, who has 1.84million YouTube subscribers, won a MOBO Award in 2021 for Best Media Personality.
In 2018, he hosted the TV show Hot Property on BBC Three, and later presented the game show Yung Filly’s Celeb Lock-In. Additionally, Barrientos has made guest appearances on The Great Celebrity Bake Off For Stand Up To Cancer on Channel 4 and Would I Lie To You? on BBC One.
He also played for England in the charity football match Soccer Aid in 2020, joining the likes of James Bay and Olly Murs on the team.
For more help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.
