Yung Filly to face retrial in Australia on rape charges

By Rob Freeman and Jessica Coates, Press Association

British rapper and social media influencer Yung Filly will face a retrial on three charges of rape after a jury failed to reach a verdict in his initial trial in Australia.

The 30-year-old, whose real name is Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, has also been hit with a fresh charge of possessing cannabis.

Barrientos was found not guilty of raping a woman in an Australian hotel room after an eight-day trial at the District Court of Western Australia in Perth last month, but was found guilty of two charges of assault occasioning bodily harm over bites to the woman’s neck and breast.

Jurors were unable to reach verdicts on the three counts of sexual penetration without consent and in a court appearance on Thursday, prosecutors confirmed they will be proceeding with a retrial.

An application to vary bail conditions will be heard on August 27 with the case mentioned to list for retrial at the District Court on September 25.

Western Australia’s courts confirmed bail has previously been set at a personal undertaking of 100,000 Australian dollars (£52,340).

No sentencing date has been set for the guilty verdicts.

Barrientos is facing the fresh charge of possessing a prohibited drug after an alleged offence on May 20, while he was on bail.

He faces a hearing at Mandurah Magistrates’ Court near Perth on September 1.

The YouTube influencer denied all charges at the initial trial when prosecutors alleged he assaulted a 20-year-old woman, who cannot legally be named, in his hotel room while touring Australia in September 2024.

The court heard the pair met at a nightclub after his performance.

The Colombian-born entertainer was arrested several days later in the eastern city of Brisbane.

The prosecution argued the woman withdrew her consent after fearing for her safety, despite initially agreeing to have sex with Barrientos.

The jury acquitted the rapper of three counts of sexual penetration without consent, an assault charge over an alleged slap and a choking charge.

Barrientos has appeared on several BBC shows and is known for collaborating with the YouTube collective Beta Squad.

The rapper has appeared for England on Soccer Aid and The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer on Channel 4.

He hosted the BBC series Hot Property and Munya And Filly Get Chilly with comedian Munya Chawawa, a spin-off show of Freeze The Fear With Wim Hof.