Yung Filly arrested: Who is the rapper and YouTube star accused of rape?

British star Yung Filly has been charged with rape and assault whereas on tour in Australia.

The Colombia-born rapper, comic and web character, 29, appeared in Perth Magistrates Courtroom on Thursday (9 October) charged with three counts of assault occasioning bodily hurt and 4 counts of sexual penetration with out consent.

He has additionally been charged with one depend of impeding one other particular person’s respiration or circulation by making use of strain to the neck.

Born Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos in Cali, Colombia, Mr Barrientos moved to the UK along with his household as a toddler, first to Orpington in Kent after which to south-east London, the place he took an curiosity within the native grime scene.

He has cited his heritage as a serious affect in his music, revealing that he would take heed to Latino artists at dwelling along with his mom and sisters. “From a younger age, I positively had influences from Latino music,” he informed Conflict in an interview in February this 12 months. “Rising up in London it was the grime scene that I fell in love with.”

But it was by means of YouTube as a comic and web character that Mr Barrientos first discovered fame, having begun filming brief comedy skits and importing them to social media as a youngster. He was employed by the net channel Wall of Comedy for his or her Asking Awkward Questions collection, which noticed him interrogate members of the general public on a wide range of matters.

Catapulted to on-line fame, Mr Barrientos has since constructed a following of greater than 1.4 million YouTube subscribers, round 120 million views and 1.9 million followers on Instagram. “I by no means sat down and mentioned I needed to be a YouTuber,” he informed Starvation journal in a 2022 interview. “I simply did a few movies on my telephone, uploaded them on my social platforms and everybody laughed, so I simply carried on. I wrote bars earlier than I ever made a YouTube video.”

With a major on-line platform, Mr Barrientos then started to pursue a profession in music, releasing singles together with his debut, “Take Time”, in 2017 and collaborations with fellow web movie star and rapper Chunkz. His most up-to-date releases had been the 2024 tracks “Tempted” and “Gray”, the latter a collaboration with Brit Award-winning Manchester rapper Aitch.

In his interview with Conflict, Mr Barrientos steered that a few of his friends believed that affiliating him – when he was higher often known as an web character – “[a] joke”.

“Some felt like I wasn’t as gifted, which can also be OK,” he mentioned. “Nonetheless, now I feel the reception is certainly completely different – I suppose everybody needs to be related to the profitable boat!”

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Lately, Mr Barrientos has hosted a lot of reveals for the BBC, together with Yung Filly’s Celeb Lock-In. He additionally fronted the BBC Three present Sizzling Property, during which he helped younger singletons snoop across the properties of their potential companions. In 2022, he appeared on Channel 4’s The Nice Celeb Bake On and off Dutch athlete Wim Hof’s present Freeze the Worry, during which celebrities are set a lot of challenges in freezing temperatures.

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“I actually do need to be a TV presenter,” Mr Barrientos informed the Night Commonplace in 2022. “I need to have the equal of a Huge Narstie Present or [The Lateish Show with] Mo Gilligan.”

He additionally expressed his aspirations to get into appearing: “I feel I’m a nasty boy actor,” he mentioned. “I don’t actually have a clue what I’m doing, however I watch [footage of myself] again and I don’t cringe, in order that’s how I do know I’m half-decent.” He revealed he had employed an appearing coach and was starting to organise auditions.

Mr Barrientos’s alleged assault of a girl in her twenties came about on 28 September in a Perth lodge room, after a efficiency on the nightclub Bar120 on 27 September.

He was arrested in Brisbane and extradited to Perth on Wednesday (8 October). He stays in custody.

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ABC Australia experiences that Mr Barrientos is being represented by Perth barrister Seamus Rafferty SC.

His software for bail was opposed by police prosecutor Julius Depetro.

Pictures of the lady’s accidents allegedly brought on by Mr Barrientos had been supplied to the Justice of the Peace by the prosecution, who mentioned: “No extraordinary particular person can consent in these circumstances.

“Throughout her physique is a historical past of violent acts… We are saying these pictures and what’s alleged is past the pale, past what might be thought of to be a consensual act.”

The Impartial has contacted Mr Barrientos’s UK consultant for remark.

Rape Disaster affords assist for these affected by rape and sexual abuse. You may name them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Eire, or go to their web site at www.rapecrisis.org.uk. In case you are within the US, you’ll be able to name Rainn on 800-656-HOPE (4673)