Warning: this story contains details some readers may find distressing
He appeared in court today
British YouTube star Yung Filly has been arrested in Australia on suspicion of rape.
The 29-year-old, real name Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, was detained in Brisbane on Tuesday and extradited interstate to Perth on Wednesday.
The YouTuber and rapper is accused of sexually assaulting a woman in her 20s in his hotel on September 28 after a performance at Bar120 in Hillarys, Perth, on the night of September 27.
He has been charged with four counts of sexual penetration without consent, and three counts of assault.
He has also been charged with one count of impeding a person’s normal breathing or circulation by applying pressure to their neck.
Barrientos faced Perth Magistrates Court today (October 10), where he was granted bail, ABC Australia reports.
Magistrate Tanya Watt granted him bail but imposed strict conditions that included a ban on contacting his alleged victim or posting on social media about the case.
He must also stay in Western Australia, report daily to police and post a personal $100,000 cash surety.
The application for bail had been opposed by police prosecutor Julius Depetro, who argued Barrientos’s social media following meant he was “no ordinary” accused.
He said this meant the risk of interference with a witness could not be alleviated by the usual protective bail conditions.
Photos were also provided to the magistrate of images of the woman’s injuries. These were not shown to the court, but the prosecutor said of the images “no ordinary person can consent in those circumstances.”
It was also added: ‘Across her body is a history of violent acts, … we say those photos and what is alleged is beyond the pale, beyond what could be considered to be a consensual act.’
According to ABC, three men who appeared to have links to Barrientos were in the public gallery during the magistrate’s hearing, along with a number of young fans who told the broadcaster they wanted to hear the allegations for themselves.
With more than 8 million followers across YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, Yung Filly is one of the biggest social media stars in the UK.
After starting his YouTube channel in 2013, he went onto have mainstream success, appearing in shows including The Great Celebrity Bake Off for SU2C and BBC’s Would I Lie To You? and starring in Soccer Aid 2020.
Yung Filly is also known for his work with fellow YouTuber Chunkz and for hosting BBC Three show Hot Property.
In 2017, he started a music career.
