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British performer Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos took the witness stand on the sixth day of his trial in Perth according to live court updates carried by The West Australian. The 30-year-old known professionally as Yung Filly said he fancied the then-20-year-old woman after she leaned over a barrier at Bar1 nightclub in the coastal suburb of Hillarys where he had performed. He recalled asking whether she wanted to come home with him and stated the vibe was good in the car on the way to the Intercontinental Hotel where the alleged offences took place in the early hours of September 28 2024.
Valencia Barrientos rose to fame through regular collaborations with the Beta Squad YouTube collective a group focused on entertainment and social experiments according to profiles published by the Economic Times. Coverage of his earlier career notes that he began posting comedy skits in 2013 amassed 1.8 million YouTube subscribers and appeared in a celebrity version of The Great British Bake Off plus BBC Three programs. The allegations first surfaced after his arrest in Brisbane in October 2024 while he was on an Australian tour as reported at the time by multiple Australian outlets including the Canberra Times.
Once at the hotel the defendant told the court the pair began kissing removed their clothes and engaged in consensual sex that both enjoyed. He described giving the woman a love bite on her left cheek and neck while she grunted and moaned in a positive way with no indication of discomfort. Valencia Barrientos added that they later lay on the bed talking about his time in Perth before he ordered an Uber for her a short time afterward according to the testimony detailed by WA Today.
The prosecution has alleged that the encounter turned violent with the woman telling the court that Valencia Barrientos put his hands down her pants at the nightclub before raping her multiple times strangling her slapping her and forcing her to say degrading phrases. He responded to those claims by stating “I did not” and “Never happened” during his evidence. The performer also denied knowing the woman was younger than him or discussing her sexual performance with his security guard who removed her phone as standard practice to protect privacy.
CCTV footage shown in court captured the group arriving at the Intercontinental Hotel at 3:52 am with Valencia Barrientos wearing a bright orange T-shirt blue jeans and Nike sneakers. A separate video played for the jury reportedly showed the complainant saying hours after the alleged incident that she had been touched by him in a good way. Judge Linda Black instructed the jury not to view any social media or news reports about the case after opening a second courtroom to accommodate public interest.
Valencia Barrientos was granted bail after being charged and permitted to return to the United Kingdom for several months before returning to Western Australia for the trial according to earlier reporting by news.com.au. The charges comprise six counts of sexual penetration without consent three counts of assault occasioning bodily harm and one count of strangulation all of which he has pleaded not guilty. Cross-examination of the defendant by prosecutor Danielle Clarke continued after a lunch break on July 27.
