A Perth jury has delivered a split verdict in a high-profile sexual assault case, acquitting UK YouTuber Andres Barrientos—known professionally as Yung Filly—of rape while convicting him of two counts of assault causing bodily harm. The case has exposed significant gaps in how courts handle allegations of sexual violence, even when juries find credible evidence of physical injury and non-consensual conduct.
Barrientos, 30, faced charges stemming from an encounter with a 20-year-old woman at the InterContinental hotel in Perth's CBD following a nightclub concert about 1 year and 10 months ago. After an eight-day trial, the jury found him not guilty of three counts of sexual penetration without consent but couldn't reach agreement on three additional rape charges, leaving those counts open for potential retrial. The guilty verdicts on assault charges relate to Barrientos biting the woman's cheek, neck, and breast during the encounter.
The Evidence and the Verdict
Prosecutor Danielle Clarke presented graphic photographs of injuries to the woman's face and neck during closing submissions, arguing the evidence demonstrated a clear shift from consensual to violent conduct. She told the jury that Clarke showed the victim was credible and reliable, and that once physical violence began, any subsequent sexual contact became non-consensual. "He did exactly what he wanted, how he wanted, when he wanted," Clarke argued, "and she meant absolutely nothing to him."
The woman testified that she initially consented to sexual activity with Barrientos, someone she described as her favourite celebrity. The encounter then turned violent, she said, with Barrientos anally raping her without consent—an accusation for which he was ultimately acquitted. The jury's inability to agree on the rape charges despite convicting on assault counts raises questions about how sexual violence is evaluated in court, particularly when physical injury is established but juries struggle to connect that violence to sexual misconduct.
Barrientos's defence lawyer David Edwardson suggested the police investigation wasn't impartial and attempted to undermine the victim's credibility by highlighting minor inconsistencies in her account and that of her cousin. He argued that "acts of sexual violence did not happen" and framed the encounter through the lens of tour culture, suggesting that sex with groupies is simply "a fact of life" for performers. Edwardson also characterized the woman's initial hopes for a relationship with Barrientos—which she'd described as a "David and Victoria Beckham future"—as evidence her allegations stemmed from disappointed romantic expectations rather than assault.
Courtroom Disruption and Jury Management
The trial was marked by significant disruptions that forced the judge to implement extraordinary security measures. After someone recorded video of Barrientos through a courtroom window and posted it on social media, Judge Linda Black ordered the window papered over and secured with tape. A separate viewing room was established, and access to the courtroom itself was restricted to lawyers, court security, family members, accredited media, and those on an approved list.
During jury instructions on Wednesday, Judge Black addressed supporters gathering outside the courthouse, telling jurors to "treat them with the disdain they deserve." Her reference to "idiots outside carrying placards" acknowledging public demonstrations raised concerns about court proceedings being influenced by external pressure. On Thursday, the public viewing room was closed entirely following a judge's order after a fight broke out near the courthouse.
Barrientos, born in Colombia in 1995 but raised in the UK, has built a significant social media following with millions of views across his videos. He released his first single as a rapper in 2017 and has since achieved two UK Top 40 hits. He'd been in the middle of an Australian tour when arrested in Brisbane and transferred to Perth to face charges.
Barrientos has been unable to leave Australia without court permission since being charged. He wept when the verdict was handed down and is due to return to court next month for sentencing on the assault convictions. State prosecutors will decide whether to pursue a retrial on the three rape counts where the jury couldn't reach agreement.
Why This Matters:
This case illustrates a troubling reality in how sexual assault allegations are adjudicated: a jury can find a defendant guilty of violent physical assault while acquitting him of rape charges stemming from the same encounter. The conviction on biting charges—which caused documented injuries to the woman's face, neck, and breast—demonstrates the jury accepted that Barrientos inflicted violence on her body. Yet the failure to convict on rape charges, combined with the hung jury on three additional counts, reveals how difficult it remains to secure sexual assault convictions even when physical evidence of violence exists. The defence strategy of attributing the woman's allegations to disappointed romantic expectations, rather than engaging substantively with the injuries she sustained, reflects broader patterns in how sexual violence cases are defended. The courtroom disruptions and judge's concerns about external pressure also raise questions about whether high-profile defendants receive different protections than accusers, and whether public interest in celebrity cases compromises the fairness of proceedings. The possibility of retrial on the rape charges remains, but the split verdict already signals the legal system's struggle to hold perpetrators accountable for sexual violence.