The trial of Yung Filly, real name Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, continues as a jury was told the young woman who accused him of rape 'meant nothing' to the British rapper. Lawyers made closing statements in the two-week trial.
The 30-year-old YouTuber has pleaded not guilty in the District Court of Western Australia to six charges of rape, three charges of assault occasioning bodily harm, and one count of choking in a Perth hotel room in September 2024. The accuser, who cannot be named, was 20 at the time. The jury is expected to begin considering verdicts on Wednesday.
Prosecution closing arguments
Prosecutor Danielle Clarke told the court Barrientos was an “entitled man” with a “moderate degree of fame” who had been sexually violent toward an “impressionable” young woman. “She meant nothing to him,” Clarke said. “What could have been and should have been consensual sex quickly escalated into sexual violence and a non-consensual nightmare.”
Photos of the woman with bruising and bite marks on her face and neck were shown to the court.
Defence testimony
Mr Barrientos testified on Monday, telling the court he did not slap or choke the woman, but agreed to the allegation that he bit her multiple times. “In England we would call it a love bite,” he said. He denied the woman repeatedly told him to stop and told him he was hurting her. “There was kissing in between; I would give her a love bite and then kiss her,” he said. “I don’t recall any blood.”
Mr Barrientos met the woman at a Perth nightclub after his performance. “The vibes were good and she had a really good energy about her,” he said. Prosecutors previously said the woman initially agreed to have sex but withdrew consent when she feared for her safety.
Phone removal and arrest
Mr Barrientos agreed that a security guard took the woman’s phone before she entered the hotel room. He denied prosecutor Clarke’s accusation that the phone was removed to trap the woman. “It is standard practice for someone in the limelight to protect privacy,” he said.
The Colombian-born entertainer, who has more than 1.8 million followers on YouTube, had been touring Australia and had performed in Sydney and Melbourne before encountering the woman. He was arrested several days later in Brisbane where the tour was to end.
