British rapper insists ‘vibes were good’ as he denies raping fan in Australia | World | News
British rapper Yung Filly insisted the “vibes were good” as he denied violently raping a woman following his performance in an Australian bar. The YouTuber, real name Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, testified in his own trial at the District Court of Western Australia on Monday, a week after the trial began.
Barrientos, 30, has pleaded not guilty to six counts of sexual penetration without consent, three counts of assault occasioning bodily harm, and one count of strangulation. He is accused of sexually assaulting the woman, then 20 years old, in a Perth hotel room in 2024 after he performed in Hillarys, a coastal suburb of Perth.
Barrientos told the court he “fancied” the woman when they met at the concert venue, Bar1. He said he was in the VIP area when she leaned over the barrier from the general area to speak.
He said: “I fancied her and we got chatting. The vibes were good, and she had a really good energy about her.”
The alleged victim previously told the court that the rapper plied her with tequila shots before he put his hands down her trousers.
Barrientos denied touching her inappropriately, but said he recalled putting his hand on her waist. He said the drinks were handed around by the bar manager.
At about 3am local time, Barrientos and the woman left the venue. The court heard that his security guard took the woman’s phone away as they drove to the Intercontinental Hotel, which Barrientos said was “standard practice” to protect their privacy.
The musician took her to room 217 where he claimed they had consensual sex. He told the court “the sex was great”, the Daily Mail reports.
Barrientos allegedly then turned violent during consensual sexual intercourse and did not stop when the woman withdrew her consent and started to cry, the court previously heard.
In court on Monday, the rapper denied choking and slapping the woman but said he did bite her.
Barrientos said: “In England we would call it a love bite.”
The woman allegedly suffered multiple injuries and was said to have sustained extensive bruising to her face and neck, as well as a bite wound on her right breast that ended up requiring a tetanus shot.
The jury was shown images of the woman’s alleged injuries, including photos of bruising and bite marks on the woman’s face and neck.
Barrientos has been on bail since being charged and was allowed to fly home to the UK in September for four months, before returning to Western Australia ahead of his trial.
He became famous on YouTube, known for his work with the collective Beta Squad, and has 1.8 million subscribers on the platform. He has also presented BBC Three shows.
