By Lucy Caulkett-
UK entertainer and online personality Yung Filly(pictured) has told a court in Australia that the “vibes were good” between himself and the woman at the centre of a series of serious sexual assault allegations, as he gave evidence during his ongoing criminal trial in Perth.
The performer, whose legal name is Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, took the witness stand at the District Court of Western Australia on Monday, marking the first time the jury has heard directly from him since proceedings began last week. Barrientos, 30, has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him and has consistently denied any criminal wrongdoing.
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The case centres on allegations arising from an encounter following a nightclub performance in Hillarys, a coastal suburb of Perth, during Barrientos’ Australian tour in 2024. Prosecutors allege that after meeting a then 20-year-old woman at the venue, she later accompanied him to his hotel where a series of offences allegedly occurred.
Barrientos faces six counts of sexual penetration without consent, three counts of assault occasioning bodily harm and one count of strangulation. The allegations are among the most serious criminal offences under Australian law, and, if proven, carry significant penalties. The trial continues before a jury, and no verdict has yet been reached.
Giving evidence under oath, Barrientos described what he characterised as a friendly and flirtatious interaction with the complainant from the moment they first encountered one another at the nightclub. According to his testimony, he first noticed the woman while he was inside the venue’s VIP section, with the complainant positioned in the general admission area, leaning over a barrier separating the two spaces.
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He told the court that he had been attracted to her almost immediately, saying he had “fancied” her after their initial interaction. However, he firmly rejected suggestions that he behaved inappropriately during that encounter.
Barrientos admitted placing his hand around the woman’s waist but denied allegations that he had touched her breast or placed his hands inside her clothing. He maintained that any physical contact before they left the venue was limited and appropriate within the context of what he believed to be a mutually friendly interaction. As his evidence continued, Barrientos described the atmosphere between them after arriving at the hotel as positive and consensual.
“The vibes were good,” he told the jury, suggesting there was mutual attraction and no indication that the woman was uncomfortable or unwilling to be with him.
One issue explored during the trial concerns the complainant’s mobile phone. Barrientos explained that his security guard had taken possession of the woman’s device upon her arrival at the hotel. According to his evidence, this was not unusual but formed part of what he described as a routine security measure designed to protect the privacy of high-profile guests and prevent photographs or recordings from being taken inside hotel rooms.
He characterised the removal of phones as “standard practice”, a point that prosecutors are likely to scrutinise alongside the wider circumstances surrounding the alleged offences. Earlier in the trial, the court heard the prosecution’s case that the pair initially engaged in consensual sexual activity before events allegedly escalated. Prosecutors contend that Barrientos became violent during the encounter and that the complainant repeatedly told him to stop. Those allegations form the basis of the charges currently before the court.
Barrientos denies those allegations in their entirety.His appearance in the witness box is regarded as a significant stage of the proceedings, allowing jurors to hear his account directly and assess his credibility alongside the other evidence presented during the trial. The prosecution and defence are expected to continue examining his evidence before closing submissions are eventually made to the jury.
Barrientos has become one of the United Kingdom’s most recognisable online entertainers over recent years, building a substantial audience across multiple digital platforms. Rising initially through comedy and music content shared online, he later expanded into mainstream television and broadcasting, becoming a familiar face to younger audiences.
Beyond his music career, he is widely known for his involvement with the YouTube collective Beta Squad, whose comedy challenges and entertainment videos have attracted millions of viewers worldwide. His popularity has also led to appearances on traditional television, including Channel 4’s celebrity edition of Bake Off, as well as presenting programmes for BBC Three.
His online reach remains considerable, with approximately 1.8 million subscribers on YouTube, around three million followers on TikTok and more than 2.4 million followers on Instagram.Those large audiences have ensured that developments in the criminal proceedings have attracted widespread public attention both in Australia and internationally.
Following his arrest and subsequent charging, Barrientos was granted bail by the Australian courts. The conditions of his bail permitted him to return temporarily to the United Kingdom in September, where he remained for approximately four months before travelling back to Western Australia in advance of the commencement of his trial.
His compliance with those bail conditions has not formed part of the allegations currently before the court. As with all criminal proceedings, the trial is focused on determining whether the prosecution can prove each charge beyond reasonable doubt. The fact that criminal charges have been laid does not itself establish guilt, and Barrientos continues to benefit from the presumption of innocence unless and until a jury returns guilty verdicts.
The evidence presented by both the prosecution and the defence will ultimately be considered by the jury, which will be responsible for deciding whether the allegations have been proved to the criminal standard required under Australian law. The trial remains ongoing, with further evidence expected to be heard before the case is eventually placed before the jury for deliberation. Until that process concludes and a verdict is delivered, the allegations remain contested, and Barrientos maintains his plea of not guilty to every charge before the court.
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