PERTH, Australia – After weeks of testimony and evidence presentation, legal teams delivered their final closing statements on Tuesday in the high-profile sexual assault trial of British YouTube creator and rapper Yung Filly, real name Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos. The 30-year-old entertainer faces multiple serious charges stemming from an alleged incident at a Perth hotel in September 2022, following a live music performance in the city.
Barrientos has entered a formal not guilty plea to all 10 counts brought against him: six counts of rape, three counts of assault causing bodily harm, and one count of choking. The complainant, who was 20 years old at the time of the alleged encounter, cannot be publicly identified under Australian law.
Testifying in his own defense before the court on Monday, Barrientos pushed back against most of the accusations leveled against him. He told the District Court of Western Australia that he never slapped or choked the woman, but acknowledged he did bite her repeatedly during their interaction. The artist, who was born in Colombia and built his career in the United Kingdom, described the bites as what would commonly be called “love bites” in England, claiming the encounter was entirely consensual.
“There was kissing in between; I would give her a love bite and then kiss her,” Barrientos told jurors from the witness stand. “I don’t recall any blood.” Prosecutors, however, presented photographic evidence to the court showing the accuser with prominent bruising and bite marks across her face and neck.
Prosecutors have laid out their case arguing that while the woman initially agreed to sexual activity with Barrientos after they met at a nearby Perth nightclub post-performance, she later withdrew her consent after becoming fearful for her safety. Barrientos refuted this narrative, saying the accuser never repeatedly told him to stop or that he was causing her pain. He described the pair’s initial interaction at the nightclub as positive, telling the court “The vibes were good and she had a really good energy about her.”
The case has also centered on the removal of the woman’s phone by Barrientos’ security guard before she entered the hotel room. Barrientos confirmed the action took place, but rejected the prosecution’s claim that the phone was seized to trap the woman, saying it was standard protocol for high-profile public figures to protect their personal privacy in such encounters.
With more than 1.8 million YouTube followers, Barrientos was on an Australian national tour when the alleged incident occurred. He had already performed in Sydney and Melbourne ahead of the Perth stop, and was en route to the final tour show in Brisbane when he was arrested by police days after the encounter. Jurors are expected to retire to begin deliberating on a verdict on Wednesday once both the prosecution and defense teams wrap up their closing remarks.