UK rapper Yung Filly has told a court that the “vibes were good” between him and a woman he is accused of raping after a nightclub performance in Perth in September 2024.
The singer, who goes by Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, took the witness stand at the District Court of Western Australia on Monday, a week after the start of his trial.
Barrientos, 30, denied any inappropriate touching, saying he had merely placed his hand on the woman’s waist and dismissed claims that he “went further” or struck her when they were in his hotel room after a show in Hillarys, a coastal suburb of Perth.
He admitted feeling she was “fancied” by him at the concert and that his security guard confiscated her phone as a “standard practice” to protect privacy.
The accused has pleaded not guilty to six counts of sexual penetration without consent, three counts of assault occasioning bodily harm, and one count of strangulation – all of which stem from alleged events in a hotel room.
Barrientos, who was touring Australia at the time, was granted bail and allowed to fly home to the UK in September for four months before returning to Western Australia for the ongoing court proceedings.
The case has drawn attention from both the music community and the legal sector, with supporters arguing the “vibes” testify to a consensual relationship, while prosecutors highlight the violent conduct alleged by the victim. The trial continues, with further hearings scheduled.
