Highlights
- UK rapper and YouTuber Yung Filly found not guilty of three rape charges
- Jury convicted him on two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm
- Three rape charges remain unresolved after the jury failed to reach verdicts
- Sentencing date to be set following a court hearing on 21 August
UK rapper and internet personality Yung Filly has been acquitted of multiple rape charges following a high-profile trial in Western Australia, but was convicted on two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm in a mixed verdict that leaves part of the case unresolved.
The 30-year-old, whose real name is Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, broke down in court as the verdicts were delivered. Prosecutors must now decide whether to seek a retrial on three rape charges after jurors were unable to reach unanimous decisions.
Mixed verdict after weeks-long trial
A jury in Western Australia found Barrientos not guilty of three counts of sexual penetration without consent relating to allegations made by a woman following his performance at a nightclub in Hillarys, a coastal suburb of Perth, in September 2024.
He was, however, found guilty on two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm. Jurors also acquitted him of one additional assault charge and a charge of strangulation.
Barrientos, who had pleaded not guilty to every charge, remains on bail. He is due back in court on 21 August, when a sentencing timetable is expected to be set for the assault convictions.
Prosecutors are also expected to determine whether to pursue a retrial on the three rape charges that resulted in a hung jury.
Court heard differing accounts of hotel encounter
During the trial, Barrientos told the court he was attracted to the woman after meeting her at the concert venue, where she was in the general admission area while he was in the VIP section.
He said he remembered placing a hand on her waist but denied touching her inappropriately before they later met at his hotel. He also told jurors that the atmosphere between them was positive and said his security guard had taken the woman's phone as part of routine privacy measures.
The court heard both parties agreed they initially engaged in consensual sexual activity. However, the woman alleged Barrientos later became violent, accusing him of biting, bruising and attempting to choke her after she told him to stop.
Photographs showing bruising and bite marks to her face and neck were presented during the trial.
Barrientos denied that the woman repeatedly withdrew consent but admitted biting her, describing the bites as "love bites".
Prosecution and defence offered contrasting cases
In closing submissions, prosecutors argued Barrientos had abused his public profile and subjected the woman to a serious assault.
His defence team challenged the credibility of the complainant's evidence, arguing it contained inconsistencies and exaggerations, and maintained that the allegations did not withstand scrutiny.
Born in Colombia and raised in the UK, Barrientos built a large online following through the YouTube collective Beta Squad before expanding into television work, including appearances on Channel 4's celebrity Bake Off and presenting programmes for BBC Three.
While the rape acquittals bring part of the case to a close, the assault convictions and unresolved charges mean the legal proceedings are not yet over. The court will next consider sentencing arrangements, while prosecutors decide whether to proceed with a fresh trial on the outstanding rape allegations.
