Yung Filly cleared of some rape charges, guilty of assault, faces possible retrial

UK YouTuber and rapper Yung Filly, 30, has been found not guilty of raping a woman at a hotel after a concert in Perth in 2024, but guilty of two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm. The verdict, delivered on 31 July after an eight-day trial, also saw the jury fail to reach a decision on three further rape counts, meaning prosecutors could pursue a retrial, according to ABC News and the BBC.

Both ABC News and the BBC report that the entertainer, whose real name is Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, was acquitted of three counts of sexual penetration without consent. The BBC adds that he was also found not guilty of one count of assault occasioning bodily harm and of strangulation. ABC News similarly says he was cleared of two charges alleging he slapped and choked the woman. The guilty verdicts relate to Barrientos biting the woman's cheek, neck, and breast, as ABC News detailed.

The incident dates back to September 2024, after Barrientos hosted a show at the Bar1 Nightclub in Hillarys, a coastal Perth suburb. He went to the InterContinental hotel in Perth's CBD with the woman and his entourage. The woman, who cannot be named, testified that she initially had consensual sex with Barrientos – whom she described as her favourite celebrity – but that he turned violent and she told him to stop. Barrientos told the court he 'fancied' the woman and had put his hand on her waist, but denied further sexual contact without consent. His security guard took the woman's phone away, which he said was 'standard practice'. CCTV showing Barrientos entering the hotel with the woman was also cited in reports from The Sydney Morning Herald.

Barrientos, born in Colombia in 1995 and raised in the UK, has millions of social media views and two UK Top 40 hits. He was arrested in Brisbane and flown back to Perth to face charges, and was later allowed to fly home to the UK for four months while on bail. He wept after the verdict. He is due back in court on 21 August, where a sentencing date for the assault convictions will be set. The bigger question now is whether state prosecutors will seek a retrial on the hung rape charges – a decision that could prolong the legal saga and determine whether the embattled star returns to prison or to his career.