Coverage spread: 2 sources — 2 international
Lean ratings via AllSides / Media Bias-Fact-Check. How this works.
Verdict in Perth court
UK rapper and YouTuber Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, known professionally as Yung Filly, has been found not guilty of raping a 20-year-old fan following a trial in Western Australia. A jury delivered its verdict on Friday, clearing the 30-year-old of three counts of sexual penetration without consent. However, he was found guilty of two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm. The jury was unable to reach a decision on three further rape-related counts, leaving those charges unresolved. He was also found not guilty on a separate assault occasioning bodily harm charge and on a strangulation charge.
The allegations stemmed from an incident in 2024 in Hillarys, a coastal suburb of Perth, after Barrientos performed at a nightclub there. The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, accused him of sexually assaulting her in his hotel room following the show. According to BBC coverage of the trial, prosecutors and the defence agreed that the pair had engaged in consensual sexual activity initially, but the accuser alleged that Barrientos became violent and that she told him to stop. She said he bit her, bruised her, and attempted to choke her, and photographs of bite marks and bruising on her face and neck were presented to the court.
What was said in court
Barrientos testified that he had been attracted to the woman when they met at the venue, recalling that he placed his hand on her waist during their encounter, though he denied touching her breast or putting his hands down her pants. He said the atmosphere between them was positive when they later went to his hotel. He acknowledged biting her multiple times but described this as consensual, calling it a “love bite,” and denied that she had repeatedly asked him to stop.
Prosecutor Danielle Clarke characterized Barrientos in closing arguments as an “entitled” figure with a “moderate degree of fame” who had violated the complainant in an especially intrusive manner. His defence lawyer countered that the accuser’s account was riddled with inconsistencies, embellishments, and outright falsehoods. The court also heard that Barrientos’s security guard had taken the woman’s phone away during the encounter, which Barrientos described as standard practice intended to protect their privacy.
What happens next
Barrientos, who pleaded not guilty to all charges, reportedly cried when the verdict was announced. He remains on bail until 21 August, at which point the court will set a date for sentencing on the two assault convictions. Separately, prosecutors must decide whether to pursue a retrial or otherwise proceed on the three rape charges on which the jury deadlocked. Barrientos had previously been permitted to return to the UK for roughly four months while on bail before coming back to Western Australia for the trial.
Coverage comparison
The BBC provided the most detailed account of the case, covering the charges, the verdict breakdown, testimony from both Barrientos and the complainant’s allegations, the closing arguments from prosecution and defence, and background on his bail history and career. Sky News also reported on the verdict under a similar headline, confirming the same central outcome — that Barrientos was found not guilty of rape but convicted on assault charges — though the full text of Sky’s article was not available for detailed comparison. Based on available material, there is no indication of factual disagreement between the two outlets; both converge on the same core verdict. The BBC’s fuller reporting offers additional context, including direct quotes from the trial and details of the unresolved hung-jury counts, which are essential to understanding that the legal proceedings against Barrientos are not fully concluded.
Background and significance
Barrientos is a prominent figure in British online entertainment, associated with the YouTube collective Beta Squad and known for appearances on the celebrity edition of Channel 4’s Bake Off and for presenting content on BBC Three. Born in Colombia and raised in the UK, he had built a substantial social media following before facing these charges, which drew significant attention given his public profile as an internet personality and musician performing internationally.
The case highlights the complexities juries face in prosecutions involving allegations that escalate from consensual to non-consensual conduct, as reflected in the split verdict — acquittals on the most serious sexual assault counts alongside convictions for physical assault, and an inability to reach unanimous conclusions on other related charges. The outstanding hung-jury counts mean the legal saga is not yet fully resolved, with prosecutors’ forthcoming decision on retrial determining whether further proceedings will follow. Sentencing on the assault convictions is expected to be scheduled after the 21 August bail hearing.
Sources
Featured photo: Gymshark via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)