British rapper and YouTube sensation, Yung Filly, has been charged with rape and sexual assault allegations.
Andre Felipe Valencia Barrientos, known as Yung Filly by his 3.1 million followers on both Instagram and TikTok, recently went on tour in Australia, which included shows in Melbourne, Sydney, and Gold Coast. During this tour, he stopped at a nightclub in Hillarys, Perth, and Bar1.
Born in Colombia, 1995, he later moved to the U.K. to start his YouTube career in 2013, and eventually started a music career four years later. Barrientos, or Yung Filly, is now a London based musician and YouTuber, best known for his work with the collective group, Beta Squad, which featured small skits and Q&As.
During this time, he did not only work on creating a name for himself, but also appeared on many other companies’ channels, receiving brand deals and company contracts.
The crime allegedly took place on Sept. 28, while on his tour. Barrientos had apparently taken a woman in her 20s, whose name was not made public, back to his hotel room after performing in Bar1.
The government of Western Australia reported in a news release on Oct. 10 that Barrientos had been arrested in Brisbane, Australia earlier that week and had been extradited to Perth to attend his court hearing regarding his sexual assault charges.
The statement regarding his arrest included that he was charged with 4 counts of rape, 3 counts of “assault occcasioning bodily harm”, and 1 count of impeding a person’s “normal breathing or circulation by applying pressure on, or to, their neck.”
Barrientos is represented by barrister, Seamus Rafferty SC, who applied for Barrientos’ bail on his behalf. No pleas were entered during his court hearing, but he was granted his bail application under strict conditions.
The court forced Barrientos to pay $100,000 AUD, along with a surety of $100,000 USD. He is not allowed to contact his victim nor is he allowed to speak about the events on social media. Barrientos is also forced to stay in the country until his court date, along with reporting to the police daily. He is scheduled to appear for a committal mention on Dec. 19 before entering a plea.
Barrientos lost many company deals. Some, including the company that produced his podcast, a shoe company, and even the Football Association, have cut all ties with him. Barrientos’ live podcast that was scheduled to take place later this month has also been canceled, and any tickets will be refunded.
