Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, a Colombian-born British entertainer known as Yung Filly, now faces a jury in Australia on charges he raped and choked a fan two years ago. Lawyers delivered closing statements Tuesday in the District Court of Western Australia state, concluding a trial that has laid bare a stark cultural and legal confrontation. The 30-year-old performer has pleaded not guilty 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, legally unnamed, was just 20 years old at the time of the alleged incident. Prosecutor Danielle Clarke told the court Barrientos acted as an “entitled man” with a “moderate degree of fame.” He allegedly subjected an “impressionable” young woman to sexual violence, Clarke asserted. “She meant nothing to him,” the prosecutor told the court in her closing arguments, describing how “what could have been and should have been consensual sex quickly escalated into sexual violence and a non-consensual nightmare.”
Cultural Collision in Perth
Barrientos testified Monday, denying he slapped or choked the woman. He did, however, agree to the allegation that he bit her multiple times. He offered a cultural explanation for the bites, stating, “In England we would call it a love bite.” The entertainer denied the woman repeatedly told him to stop or that he was hurting her. “There was kissing in between; I would give her a love bite and then kiss her,” Barrientos claimed from the witness box, adding, “I don’t recall any blood.” Photos presented to the court showed the woman with bruising and bite marks on her face and neck.
The British entertainer met the young woman at a Perth nightclub following his performance. He described their initial encounter, saying, “The vibes were good and she had a really good energy about her.” Prosecutors previously stated the woman initially agreed to have sex with Barrientos but later withdrew her consent. Her fear for personal safety prompted this change, they argued.
Elite Privilege and Local Vulnerability
Barrientos confirmed his bodyguard took the woman’s phone before she entered the hotel room. He denied the prosecutor’s accusation that this action was meant to trap the woman. Instead, Barrientos asserted, “It is standard practice for someone in the limelight to protect privacy.” This claim of elite privilege, invoked to justify the removal of a local woman’s communication device, underscores the power dynamics at play.
The Colombian-born entertainer had been touring across Australia, performing in Sydney and Melbourne before his encounter in Perth. He was arrested several days later in Brisbane, where his tour was scheduled to conclude. The jury is expected to begin considering their verdicts Wednesday after defense lawyers complete their closing statements, leaving the fate of an Australian woman's claim against a foreign celebrity in their hands.