British rapper Yung Filly charged with rape in Australia ahead of NZ Eden Fest performance

YouTuber Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, known as Yung Filly, has been charged with rape and assault in Australia. Photo / Getty Images

Warning: mentions rape, sexual assault.

A popular UK rapper and YouTuber has fronted court on rape and assault charges.

Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, who goes by the stage name Yung Filly, faced Perth Magistrates Court on Thursday charged with three counts of assault occasioning bodily harm, four counts of sexual penetration without consent and one count of impeding another person’s normal breathing or blood circulation by applying pressure to the neck.

Barrientos is currently touring Australia. The alleged assault took place in a Perth hotel room.

“WA Police Sex Assault Squad detectives will allege on Saturday 28 September 2024, the man sexually assaulted a woman in her 20s, in his Perth hotel room after he had performed at a venue in Hillarys,” the Western Australia Police said in a statement on Thursday.

“This investigation is ongoing and Sex Assault Squad detectives urge anyone with information relating to this matter, or any similar incidents, to call Crime Stoppers.”

Barrientos, 29, was taken into custody in Brisbane on Tuesday and WA detectives extradited him to Perth on Wednesday.

At the Thursday hearing, Barrientos was granted bail with strict conditions, with a personal undertaking of A$100,000 and a surety of A$100,000.

He will next appear at Perth Magistrates Court on December 19 for a committal mention.

The London performer boasts 1.8 million followers on YouTube, 3.2 million on TikTok and has racked up three million streams on Spotify.

He also hosts TV shows on the BBC, including Yung Filly’s Celeb Lock-In and Hot Property.

Barrientos was set to perform as a “special guest” at the music festival Eden Fest at Auckland’s Trusts Arena on Saturday. Headliners include Jorja Smith and Rema; Miguel and Busta Rhymes were also on the line-up, but have since pulled out.

- Additional reporting by NZ Herald.