Yung Filly, born Andrés Felipe Valencia Barrientos, spent more than a decade building one of the most recognisable profiles in British YouTube culture before his name became tied to a serious and still-unresolved criminal case in Australia. His story now runs along two tracks: a genuine rise through UK internet comedy, music, and television, and an active legal process that has produced both an acquittal and a conviction, with more still to be decided. This article lays out both sides plainly, distinguishing clearly between what has been proven, what has been decided by a jury, and what remains an unresolved allegation. Because the woman at the centre of the case has automatic legal anonymity, she is not named or identified here.
Early Life and Background
Barrientos was born in Cali, Colombia, on 6 August 1995, and moved to the UK with his family in 1997, settling first in Orpington and later in southeast London, where he grew up immersed in the local grime scene. He attended Conisborough College and briefly returned to Colombia after Year 11 to try professional football in Barranquilla before giving it up and returning to Britain. Before internet fame, he reportedly worked as a broker in his late teens, a detail that sits oddly against the persona he later built online.
Rise to Fame on YouTube and Beta Squad
Filly began posting content in 2013, building an audience through comedic skits and Q&A videos, and grew his profile further through Footasylum’s YouTube series “Does The Shoe Fit” and content with Pro:Direct Soccer. His channel eventually reached around 1.8 million subscribers, with a far larger combined following on Instagram and TikTok, and he signed with UTA as his career expanded. He became closely associated with Beta Squad, the British YouTube collective built around creators including Chunkz, Niko Omilana, Sharky, and AJ Shabeel, functioning as a frequent collaborator rather than a founding member. His long-running partnership with Chunkz culminated in a joint podcast launched in October 2023, which was reportedly shelved after his arrest the following year.
Music and Television Career
Alongside his video work, Filly built a genuine music career, citing his Colombian roots and UK grime as key influences. He released his debut single “Take Time” in 2017, followed by “La Paila” and “Mucho Mas” in 2018 and “Confidence,” featuring Chunkz and Geko, in 2020. Later collaborations included “Day to Day” with Chip and “Grey” with Aitch. On television, he hosted BBC Three’s “Hot Property” in 2018 and “Don’t Scream” in 2019, played for England at Soccer Aid in 2020, and later appeared on “Race Around Britain,” “Munya and Filly Get Chilly,” “The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer,” and “Would I Lie to You?” — a run that marked him as one of the more successful UK YouTubers to cross into mainstream broadcasting.
The Perth Arrest and Original Charges
In September 2024, Filly performed at a nightclub in Hillarys, a Perth suburb, as part of an Australian tour. A woman in her twenties later alleged that he sexually assaulted her in his hotel room in the early hours of 28 September. He was arrested in Brisbane on 8 October 2024, extradited to Perth, and initially charged with four counts of sexual penetration without consent, three counts of assault occasioning bodily harm, and one count of impeding a person’s breathing. He was granted bail on strict conditions, including a AU$100,000 personal undertaking and surety, and a requirement to stay in Western Australia. He pleaded not guilty to all original charges in March 2025.
Additional Charges and the Lead-Up to Trial
In June 2025, prosecutors filed two further counts of sexual penetration without consent, bringing the total number of rape-related charges to six alongside the existing assault and strangulation charges. His trial was set down for 20 July 2026 in the District Court of Western Australia, running for eight days. Prosecutors relied heavily on photographic evidence of bruising and bite marks on the woman’s face and neck, while Filly maintained throughout that the encounter was fully consensual.
The Trial and Verdict
Barrientos testified in his own defence, denying that he had hit or choked the complainant and describing the injuries as “love bites.” On 31 July 2026, the jury returned a mixed verdict: not guilty on three of the six counts of sexual penetration without consent, not guilty on the strangulation charge and one assault count, but guilty on two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm relating to the bite marks. The jury could not reach a verdict on the remaining three rape counts, resulting in a hung jury on those specific charges. He was reported to have wept as the verdicts were delivered.
Retrial and Current Bail Status
Because the jury deadlocked on three charges, prosecutors confirmed on 21 August 2026 that they would pursue a retrial, with the complainant willing to testify again. Sentencing on the two existing assault convictions has been deferred until after that retrial concludes, and Barrientos was reported to be facing an additional, separate cannabis possession charge. Days later, a judge varied his bail to allow him to return to the UK, on condition he come back to Australia at least ten days before the retrial and surrender his passport within 24 hours of arrival. The retrial is expected to be expedited but is likely to take place sometime in 2027, meaning three rape charges remain legally undecided and Barrientos retains the presumption of innocence on them.
The Separate Case in Spain
Independently of the Australian proceedings, Spanish and UK media reported in March 2025 that Barrientos was under investigation by a court in Palma, Mallorca, after a British tourist alleged he raped her in a Magaluf hotel during the summer of 2024, following a performance at a local beach club. British police passed the complaint to Spain’s Guardia Civil, which forwarded it to a Palma court for investigation. This case is entirely separate from the Western Australian matter, and available reporting has not indicated that formal charges have since been filed.
Conclusion
Yung Filly’s career moved quickly from early YouTube skits to UK television and a genuine music catalogue, built on a decade of consistent content and high-profile collaborations. That career is now inseparable from a serious legal case in Western Australia, where he has already been acquitted of some charges and convicted of others, while three rape charges remain undecided pending a retrial, and a separate investigation continues in Spain. The fair summary of his situation is not a verdict of guilt or innocence, since the courts themselves have not finished deciding that — it is simply where the process currently stands, and it will likely keep changing as the retrial approaches.